Starcrossed Sisters
by Economy
Summary: Just two in a world where all magical girls are fat by design. Years apart in age, and destined to fail at life as they fight the losing battle to avoid becoming dinner. (Spun off from Cibus Esculentus Madoka Magica.)
1. Chapter 1

**Courtesy of John Robert Tan Lim from Upwork.**

 **Note:** This is a side-story of Cibus Esculentus Madoka Magica. If a premise revolving around fat girls does not sit well with you, you may want to avoid this.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

* * *

The afternoon sun shone through tinted glass, illuminating the interior of the church with a faint, orange glow.

"Hear me, this is now the time for repentance. The world has changed, and so shall we move along with the times!"

A thin man wearing a priest's robe stood in front of a small congregation. He slowly raised both hands along with his ever-increasing voice, one that showed a calm yet powerful decisiveness.

"We live among troubling times. I have come to bring you the words of the blessed mother. Love one another without discrimination. Accept each other for who they are, whatever they may be, whoever they may be."

"We are approaching the end of days. Hear me and repent! It is only with the power of acceptance and tolerance could we weather through the last days."

Two dozen people nodded in unison and knelt in front of their respective pews. The priest motioned to his assistant, who swiftly picked up a prepared container.

He dipped his hands inside before raising them once more. A religious sign later, and he closed the sermon.

"Live your lives keeping those rules in mind. We have no time to be stuck up on religious dogma. Now go. Go forth and be blessings of the world!"

Behind the pulpit, several books have been piled together. Dust gathered atop the books, covering the religious symbols engraved on the book covers.

The dozens of followers, barely filling up a quarter of the large church hall's full capacity of around a hundred people, began to leave.

The priest's assistant took his books, and after giving the now-empty church another look of sorrow, faced the priest and bowed.

"This doesn't look good at all," said the assistant.

With his eyes fixed on the stained glass that lined the church, the priest replied in a solemn tone.

"I know. Deviating from the order certainly didn't sit well with the people, it seems. It seemed like yesterday when the whole church was filled up with energized believers."

"Not to mention, it might get you into trouble sooner than later. I'm sorry, but when that time comes, and it seems to be sooner than later…"

"I shall take sole responsibility. My convictions are clear. These people need a new doctrine to live by and that is the truth that my heart believes in."

* * *

Minutes later, and the priest had finally left the church with a paper bag in hand. His lonely walk on the last hours before nightfall in Kazamino continued until he reached the gates of the compound.

"Dad's back!"

Two girls, both red-haired, scampered towards their father.

"So how are my two little angels been doing today?"

Two happy voices

"We went to play at the nearby park. Big sis and I had a lot of fun!"

"Is that so, Momo?" asked the father. "I'm glad for you two. Now, here you go."

He bent down and lowered the paper bag to reveal a pack of potatoes.

"God has been great to us. Make sure to give your thanks for all the gifts given to us. Right, Kyoko?"

Munching on one of the potatoes, Kyoko, the elder sibling, looked up to her father. She smiled before nodding.

"We'll keep praying. God will always provide for our needs. Right?" She motioned into a prayer motion while holding onto the food, which was halfway finished.

"Yes. That's right. He's all you need. Remember this until you both grow up. He would find a way."

Despite his reassuring words, Kyoko's father looked into the distance, straight at the horizon with the fading sunlight that dyed the sky a rosy hue.

"Hey, dad?"

Kyoko's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Then why is it that you would read the newspaper and cry every morning? Wouldn't God just solve all the problems in the world? Wouldn't he show compassion and correct the bad people?"

"It's not that easy and simple, Kyoko. He works in mysterious ways, in his perfect time."

He proceeded to immediately answer the first question.

"There's nothing wrong with feeling sad for all the bad things happening in the world once in a while. That's why I am here. I stand as their guide towards their beacon of hope. Leading people to God, giving them a reason to live, that's what I promised to do in this church."

"Really? You're the best, the greatest hero!"

The father chuckled.

"Come, let's head back home. Your mom must be waiting for us, with a delicious meal ready."

"Yeeees~" answered the two in chorus.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The father's voice echoed throughout the dining hall as his hand slammed the table, a sound of crumbling paper going along with it.

"The elder bishops dropped by a while ago to deliver that themselves. I-I'm sorry. R-really, I am sorry. I tried to explain everything, bu-but…"

A female voice failed to continue amidst sobs.

"What about this other paper? Do you know what this means?"

Sobs continued to act as the reply to his frustration-filled words.

"We have a family here, we can't leave! Where would we go?"

He paused, then resumed.

"All this just because they think we're some sort of cult? If they would just listen for a bit, if they would only get over their judgmental minds…"

"Hey, do you know what's going on, big sis?"

Momo whispered to her sister.

Both siblings failed to stay asleep due the the loud volume of the exchange between their parents. Kyoko just put her finger on top of her mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Momo. He'll find a way."

* * *

One afternoon, Kyoko sat down before collapsing into a makeshift bed inside a room. She stared blankly towards the sky from the little window that was showing signs of breaking down.

She frowned and put her hand over her face. "I guess dad and Momo would be coming home late today."

It was a downward spiral ever since that fateful night. The very next day, the whole family was kicked out from the residence and was forced to find a new home.

Weeks turned to months. There was barely any place to stay. The family had to keep going on the move, going from one place to another.

Everywhere they went, people merely scoffed at them and rejected their pleas.

Her father was cut off from the church with an excommunication order. The last remaining members of the church left when news broke, and with the breadwinner having no work to support four people, the family's finances began going down the drain.

Food became harder and harder to come by. The four of them had to live on scraps and leftovers for days at a time.

As these memories and events surged through Kyoko's mind, a fire lit up from within her. It was an inner flame full of anger and determination.

There has to be hope. There has to be something to get them out of this rut.

It was then that she saw it. For some reason, an animal had appeared on top of the open window. It peered into the room with round eyes that looked straight at her, never blinking.

Kyoko sat up and approached the animal that caught her attention. Upon closer look, she saw that it was a white cat that had four ears, regular upright cat ears and long ones that sprouted from the cat ears.

"May I help you?" asked the animal.

It did not even open its mouth. Somehow, it managed to get its thoughts across to Kyoko.

"Y-you can talk?!" blurted a startled Kyoko.

"Of course. I have been monitoring you for some time now. I also know about what you're going through, Kyoko Sakura. Say, if, and if there really is a way for you to get out of this mess, would you let me do it?"

"No way. It would take a miracle for something to turn things around. I don't think God hears our prayers too," answered Kyoko in a dejected voice.

"Well, your problems started when people stopped believing in your father's words. Church attendance grew less and less by the day, and people stopped giving to the church. To top it off, even the religious officers cut themselves away from the family."

"So, you know that much, huh?"

Kyoko turned away. "Yeah, I wish everyone would start listening to father again. He's a compassionate man. He loved too much, and it breaks my heart to see him being rejected and being sent away every time. He did nothing wrong. Everything was just different…"

Kyoko felt her hand forming a clenched fist as she poured her feelings out to this white cat. "If only they took a while to actually listen to what he was saying!..."

Before she could go on, the cat answered her.

"One wish, and I have the power to grant it in exchange for a contract. Would you agree to the contract and become a Cibus?"


	2. Chapter 2

The afternoon sun shone through tinted glass, illuminating the interior of the church with a faint, orange glow.

"Love is the greatest virtue. That goes for all sorts of love. The holy book has called us to love our neighbors and enemies. That goes double for those whose views align differently than ours."

Kyoko's father stood in front of a sea of people in the church. The amount of people who came to listen numbered at an estimated two hundred. So much had the people flocked to hear his sermon that an unmoving mass of human bodies spilled to the outside of the church.

"Worldviews, ideals, moral compasses, these serve as nothing more than barriers separating us. At this point in time, we have no need for such barriers!"

With a smile, he raised his grail.

"This is our last hope against the great evil that seeks to shake the foundations of this world.

"Only freedom awaits us who heed these words. Only with acceptance and tolerance would you find true peace."

The hall erupted with a chorus of applause. People chanted along with the three assistants' call to prayer.

While the congregation moved as one, as if hypnotized by a powerful binding magic, Kyoko's father looked at the distance. His gaze moved past the last line of people that clogged the entrance to the church.

After all, despite the immense miracle the family had experienced in one day, it eerily coincided with a similarly otherworldly incident…

"Haaaah!"

Kyoko, or the girl who's supposed to be Kyoko, let loose a battle cry as she thrust her weapon forward. The spear, made of segmented edges, split apart and sliced through the air, slashing an enemy.

The enemy, a gigantic being that looked like a cross between a faceless humanoid and a vine monster, twitched. The monster, who had rows of teeth and claws in place of regular facial features, dropped down to one knee.

"This is the finishing blow!"

The spear returned to its original polearm shape and glowed. She pointed her spear forward and rushed with a surge of power.

With one passing slash, the monster was sliced in half and disintegrated into thin air. The surroundings, a kaleidoscope of bright and vibrant colors filled with shadows faded away in a haze.

"Whew, at least that one's done with."

Kyoko sighed. She placed her hand over the mouth as she yawned, and her red outfit returned to the shirt that she wore on regular days.

She was Kyoko alright. However, one major change has taken place in less than a day from meeting the white cat.

Instead of the petite girl, there stood a rotund one. It was an overnight change, one that no one would believe such a transformation is possible.

Kyoko turned her tubby body around and looked at the church from the distance. Surely her father must now be having a good time spreading his message of love.

 _Surely, it's worth the sacrifice._

Kyoko pondered such thoughts while continuing to adjust to her new body. With some difficulty due to the shape her body assumed now, she reached out to her pocket and took out a large cracker. She started munching on it while walking back towards the church.

As if it was a dream, it all seemed impossible, but the white cat had made it happen in one stroke.

The church and her father's sect had despised magic, but how is it any different from a miracle? How will it be any different just because it was brought about by a creature that while seemingly suspicious, acted in a helpful and friendly manner?

Yes, whatever it is, miracles and magic are real.

It's just as her father always taught her. Intervention would come at the most appropriate time and bring delivery to those in need.

Kyoko approached the church and recalled her conversation.

" _Say, what do you wish for, Kyoko Sakura?" asked the cat. "Any one thing you desire, I have the power to give it to you, as long as we agree to the terms of the contract."_

" _One wish?"_

" _Yes. Anything. In exchange, you have to become a Cibus."_

 _Kyoko's eye twitched. "Cibus? What are you talking about?"_

" _You will be granted magical powers and experience massive physical changes to your body. Then, you would spend an eternity fighting monsters with the powers you gain. They threaten the human race, and it's the Cibi's job to protect people from them."_

 _Kyoko barely gave it any thought. She sat up and faced the cat. "That's all?"_

" _I wish that everyone would listen to father's words again!"_

 _Her wish was automatic. No hesitation, no regrets. Kyoko opened her arms wide and smiled at the cat that now continued staring into her with those huge eyes._

" _I see, so that's what it is. The contract is signed. I, Kyubey, would now grant your heart's desire."_

 _Light shone from within Kyoko. The gleam started off weak and gradually increased in power. Soon, it filled the entire room. The last thing Kyoko remembered of that encounter was an odd feeling permeating her entire body while it got used to its new form._

"If this is all I have to go through, then it's a piece of cake. A little sacrifice for bringing joy to the family and saving ourselves from hunger."

Kyoko approached the church. Now, a new presence made itself felt beside her.

However, it was not a malicious presence like what she felt when fighting those monsters, known as Esurientes. It never resembled a dark presence, one reeking of murderous intent. Instead, it was one that's more subdued – a similar aura of power nevertheless.

"You're a fast learner, Kyoko Sakura."

On paper, Kyubey's words were words of praise. One can't help but think that there exists an underlying meaning behind his words. Such things were of no importance to Kyoko, though, who brushed it off as a passing comment.

"Piece of cake, just as I said. I'll take fighting these things over going hungry again!"

She resumed eating. This time, she bit down on a new box of crackers. A smile crept into her face upon seeing the huge number of people gathered outside the church.

"Everything's this easy, huh?"

Kyoko finished off her food with an emphatic bite.

* * *

The clanging of metal echoed as steel met bone.

Kyoko just barely blocked another attack from the whip-like claws of the Esuriens. Kyoko's frame, while firm and sturdy, made dodging swift attacks like this one more difficult. Her legs had hampered her ability to move the first time around, but the enemies a week ago did not exhibit this level of agility with their movement and attacks.

The battlefield flickered between bright lights and dark shades of red while the enemy, a wolf-like creature with two large wing spikes, bounded past the pews of the Kazamino church.

Kyoko fortified her position atop the elevated platform, right beside the pulpit. With her spear at the ready, she awaited her opponent's next move.

The spikes from the Esuriens' wings extended and shot towards her in one simultaneous motion.

Picking up her spear, Kyoko ordered it to snap into fragments held by a touch string. With her weapon transformed into a whip, she slapped the two spikes away. With the enemy knocked back by the clash, she took this chance to snap her weapon into one of the wing spikes and cripple it.

Hearing the Esuriens roar from the attack, Kyoko began heading for a spiral staircase that's accessible from the side of the stage. She ran as fast as her bloated legs could take her, hoping to lure the enemy towards the upper sector of the church.

She had barely taken a few steps up the stairs before the enemy pounced at her. The sheer weight of the enemy pinned her down. Claws dug into her body, drawing blood and tearing through her shirt.

It was no problem. These wounds were something that she could eventually recover from. After all, the enhanced power of recovery is part of the new set of powers she gained from becoming a Cibus.

As the wolf bore down on her, it opened its mouth, revealing a ferocious set of teeth. The mouth grew larger and larger, eventually growing to one that would be capable of swallowing Kyoko whole.

For the first time, Kyoko felt a sense of fear.

Will she just die here? Just like that?

 _No!_

Kyoko tightened her grip on the weapon and caused it to transform back into her spear.

"I took on this oath to protect my family, to give them hope for the future… How can I face father in heaven if I die here? How can I dare allow a monster like you to continue trample sacred ground?!"

The monster prepared to swallow Kyoko.

"You want something to eat? How about this!"

She thrust the spear forward with all her might just as the jaws closed in on her.

The spear pierced through and emerged from the back of the Esuriens' head. After a final wail, the enemy disintegrated.

The battle had taken longer than usual, but the result remained the same as it was for the past few battles. Kyoko emerged victorious, having slain another monster that threatened people.

The monster had disappeared, and so did the luminous background that enveloped the church. After a while, the church returned to its former appearance.

"Whew, that was a tough one."

Kyoko wiped off some sweat and stared at her body. The wounds would heal in time, and in the end, it was a close call, yet she managed to scrape out of it alive.

It's nothing. Nothing but a small price to pay for her great wish.

Or so she thought.

"Kyoko? What happened here? What is the meaning of this?"

Kyoko froze as she turned towards the door of the church and found herself face to face with her father.


	3. Chapter 3

"What is the meaning of this?"

While Kyoko's father stared her down from the distance, she turned her attention to him.

"I came after sensing a disturbance at the church. Now explain yourself before I assume things, Kyoko."

Without another word, he gave Kyoko a condescending look. One did not need to hear another word to guess the emotions in his heart right now.

"What, how can that be? Father, you…"

How could he have known? Weren't these barriers from Esuriens battles supposed to be cut off from the outside world?

Wait a minute.

As Kyoko tried to make sense of the situation, she felt an aura of power coming from her father. She failed to discern the nature of the power, whether it's something that she should fear or not. For one, it wasn't as malicious as the powers exhibited by the mere presence of Esurientes.

Whatever it is, something has happened to her father. Why wasn't she able to sense this for weeks on end after making her wish? Is this the consequence of Kyubey enchanting his words?

"Kyubey!…"

Kyoko's voice trailed off to nowhere. The mysterious white cat that was there moments ago had disappeared. He had overseen the battle and waited in the shadows all throughout, but now he's gone. No traces of him remained. Even as Kyoko tried to communicate via telepathy, she received no response from Kyubey.

"Don't tell me that you're the source of the disturbance that I felt. Kyoko, tell me the truth. Tell me everything."

Silence followed. The feeling is comparable to all the air being completely cut out from the vicinity. The two people inside the empty church building maintained eye contact.

Finally, Kyoko broke the silence and stepped forward. She slowly moved towards her father with her head hung down.

"Dad, I think this is something that I should've told you before."

She stopped a few steps away from her father.

"I formed a contract. One day, I met this creature who offered me one wish in exchange for transforming me into a Cibus. It is what's responsible for my current appearance. I became like this because it's part of becoming a Cibus," explained Kyoko.

Her father immediately snapped. "What?!"

With the situation going south, Kyoko hurried in her ways to continue the conversation rather than leave it hanging at that rate.

"You know, the wish I made was…"

She paused.

"… Umm, it was a wish I made for the family. I wished that people would listen to you, and that they would finally understand what you're telling them. I figured that maybe if people would listen and flock back to the church, we'd be better off for good. We'd never go hungry again and we'd find a place for us. Mom, you, Momo, and I… We'd be happy forever."

"Isn't that what happened? Didn't you get your job back? Didn't we find a way out of the house problem? Even Momo stopped crying after I made that wish and became like this."

"Kyoko…"

"Besides that, father, with my new status as a Cibus, I fight monsters with my newfound powers! You won't believe me, but they're real! Scary monsters exist in this world, and they're just like the demons you always told us about. They're real, and it's now my job to protect the people against them. Sounds cool, right? Kyoko Sakura, hero of justice! Hehe.

"While you save the world and spread your message of love in the open day, I take the fight from the shadows and help everyone. Together, we're an unstoppable duo, saving the world one step at a time as the messengers of God that you have been mentioning!"

With that, Kyoko broke into tears and leapt forward. She caught and embraced her father with both arms. Her grip wouldn't let go of her father's back, even as she buried her face in her father's robes.

"Dad, I'm sorry for not saying this before! I'm really, really sorry!"

"Kyoko, so you're telling me that the only reason people suddenly have a change of heart is because of magic, one that came from you? You mean to say you have magically altered the both of us, and sold your soul for it?"

"I… guess that's a way to put it, father, but—"

Kyoko had not even finished her word when she felt a strong repulsive force hitting her body. She landed on the cold, unforgiving floor with a loud thud. The first thing she noticed was her father's outstretched palm, most likely the same palm he used to forcefully toss her off him.

"Unbelievable, unspeakable!"

Kyoko tried her hardest to get up and explain further.

At this point, words failed to leave her mouth. What's the point? There was nothing that can change her father's mind now. She knew it growing up.

"Haven't all these years taught you anything, Kyoko?! Who are you to take fate into your own hands, at the cost of your life? Did no word of mine stay inside your young head? What worth would it be if man gains the whole world at the cost of his soul?"

But it was a moment of desperation. It was a moment of emergency. Kyoko could talk all day, but she conceded her point. It's no use.

Her father spoke no more. He turned his back on Kyoko and stormed out of the church.

Left alone, Kyoko knelt down and hit her head on the church floor.

A glance over her shoulder put her gaze straight towards the decorated stained glass. Her attention locked on to the shape of an angel placed on the glass.

The shape seemingly indirectly stared down at her. She stood tall with a flaming sword that pointed at a kneeling person, ready to pass on judgment against the sinner.

Kyoko gripped her chest, right around where her heart is. Somehow, she felt the pain of the human shape faced against such being of conviction and judgment.

It was too late for regrets now. There was no backing out of this contract; all she could do was make the most out of it. At least until the time came, she would keep fighting. When the time of her judgment came, she'd at least go out fighting. She picked herself up and wiped off the last of her tears.

"Here I go!"

Kyoko's spear flew through the sky and found its mark. The serpent-like Esuriens writhed in place as the spear jammed its tail to the ground. Its multiple eyes all rotated to focus on Kyoko before its two wings flapped.

The force of the wings dislodged the spear, allowing the Esuriens to fly several meters up. Once at the peak of its altitude, it opened its mouth, revealing a grotesque picture of acid-coated teeth.

It plunged down the sky, headed towards Kyoko's huge body.

"Hmph, I've learned a few more tricks along the way. Mind if I show you?"

Kyoko spun her spear around with her eyes closed. Just as the serpent got to her, it found itself crushed by its own momentum against a wall of red diamonds. It collapsed under the impact and fell to the ground.

Kyoko seized this opportunity and jumped up high. She pointed the spear downwards, aiming for a one-hit kill.

"This is it for you, evildoer!"

Her weight pressing down, in addition to the accelerating force of the spear, drove the weapon right through the serpent's head for a fatal blow.

The snake erupted into pieces, and the barrier shattered like glass, returning Kyoko to the downtown streets of Kazamino.

"That's gotta do it for the day, right, Kyubey?"

The cat, who has reappeared beside her, did not respond immediately. After being reprimanded by Kyoko, he finally responded with a nod.

With the job done, Kyoko decided to go home.

It has been a few weeks since the fateful day with her father. Thanks to pleading by her mother, she had been allowed to stay at home. Her activities resumed. While her father left home, she would continue hunting Esurientes.

Kyoko, in her brisk jog through downtown Kazamino, passed by the stall that sold the best apples in town. While there's no reason to buy from the shop right now, she overheard an ongoing conversation between the owner and another person.

"How was it? Is he any better now?" murmured stall owner.

The person he was talking to shook his head. "No. I bet he lost his mind. Sure looks like it. My buddy told me he'd been laying wasted on da pub e'ryday. The absolute madman!"

The stall owner scratched his head. "Man, I hope he's gonna be able to pull through. I heard he went about things differently earlier today. He seemed most disturbed according to another usual customer. He kept muttering some crap about cleansing the world of evil, about purifying the Sakura family and that. Scary shit right there."

"I dunno lad. Am scared too, honestly. Goin' to his church doesn't feel right these days, gives me no damn sense of peace."

Kyoko felt her heart freeze upon hearing those words. She stopped in her tracks and confronted the stall owner.

"What did father say?!"

* * *

"F-father?..."

Momo's voice trailed off. She felt a cold chill sweep across her body the same time her vision blurred. The painful sensation had numbed.

She collapsed, dropping down with the knife plunged onto her chest.

"Hah! Hah! Hah! No mercy for the progenitors of evil. I have exorcised the household for you, oh great God!" shouted Kyoko's father with his arms raised. His eyes dilated as he looked at his work. He panted heavily and dropped the second bloodstained knife that he held before falling to his knees.

His wife's body lay sprawled across the floor. Blood spilled down the floor, covering both her body and Momo's.

"We have spawned a witch, a devil in the guise of a child. Nothing but damnation awaits this household!"

He looked at a noose that he stood prepared on the ceiling of the room.

* * *

"Father!"

The door slammed open, and Kyoko entered the living room of the Sakura residence. She was stopped at the first object that she saw. It was neither her sister nor her mother's bodies, nor were the burned books and smashed furniture that told the tale of the struggle…

Her father had hung himself.


	4. Chapter 4

"W-what happened? Father?"

Kyoko's eyes welled up in tears. It took some time to process what was laid in front of her.

She shut her eyes in an attempt to flush the sight away to no avail. The sight of her father's lifeless body burned into her mind the moment she caught sight at it.

Kyoko re-opened her eyes. Maybe it's just a bad dream after all.

When she opened her eyes, she wished that she never did.

The bodies of both her sister and mother, which have been unnoticed by her, came to her view.

"Even mother and Momo?"

Kyoko's feet shook with each step she took that put her closer and closer to the dead body. She knelt down and gave a silent prayer. As to what she prayed for, no one knew. No one in the dead silent home could hear her whispers.

She shivered, trembled with every passing second before letting out an anguished cry.

"Why? Why did this happen? Answer me, God!" cried Kyoko.

She fixed her eyes on the ceiling, acting as if a direct stare upwards would shoot a glare straight at the deity above, the one that would listen to pious followers' wishes and knows each and every one of their hearts, if her father's words were true.

Her eyes flipped open once more. Once they did, the Sakura residence room was no more.

Instead of the room, she found herself surrounded by fog. An overflow of magical power exerted pressure which overwhelmed her from all angles.

"T-this…"

"Brace yourself, Kyoko Sakura!" shouted Kyubey, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "It's your first time seeing it, right? The birth of a Esuriens."

"Birth of an Esuriens?" asked Kyoko.

Before she could get an answer, tremors started and interrupted her train of thought.

When the smoke cleared, Kyoko had transformed into her Cibus attire. She immediately recognized this whole field as an Esuriens barrier, one that she had grown accustomed to.

Kyoko continually turned, looking for the sign of the Esuriens.

The female bodies showed no sign of movement. However, the same cannot be said of her father. Black energy in the form of smoke and smoke flowed from his gaping mouth.

There was no mistaking it. The Esuriens somehow went inside her father's now-dead body and was trying to take form on its way out.

"I won't let you mess with father, you monster!" yelled Kyoko.

With a battle cry and spear in hand, she charged forward. Silently praying that one strike would finish it all before things get worse, she forced her feet to go beyond their regular limits.

Like a gust of wind, Kyoko charged past her father's body and delivered a strong horizontal swing at the fog, slicing it apart.

The black fog dissipated, and the barrier collapsed.

That was what Kyoko was hoping for. Unfortunately, such was not the case. The dissipated fog reformed again, this time stronger than before, and continued to take shape.

"Kyubey! Is there no stopping this? Can we not destroy that thing before it becomes an Esuriens?"

Kyubey appeared beside her, apparently having used some kind of teleportation power. The creature stood motionlessly and looked at the swirling mass of black energy.

"That cannot be verified, Kyoko Sakura. Only a few Cibi have even witnessed such a phenomenon. As such, I have no way of confirming such possibility."

Kyoko swung her arm down in a snappy motion. Looks like there's no helping it. As she waited for her opponent, her thoughts return to the time she first became a Cibus.

* * *

 _Kyoko opened her eyes at the fragrant smell, one which returned her to the reality of a family dinner. The Sakuras have returned to their old residence near Kazamino's church._

 _"Here, have some, Kyoko. It is a feast set by your father."_

 _Kyoko's mother prepared another bowl of bread, the final piece that completed a whole main course menu that has been set on the table._

 _"Ehh? But isn't that too much for big sis? Look at her now," teased Momo. She pointed at Kyoko and waved her arm in curves to emphasize Kyoko's size._

 _The adult woman paused before chuckling. "You're a naughty child, you know that? It's a good thing you have such a nice elder sister."_

 _Kyoko gobbled down the food. Her sister's teasing is nothing now, nothing compared to the immense joy she felt after hearing the news a few mornings back. She stopped to let the past few days sink in some more._

 _In fact, the main reason her father's not home now is because of the fact that he had been called back to handle the church again. It was truly a miracle, a spectacle. That Kyubey really did his end of the bargain, and things were back to normal for the family in an instant._

 _Well, almost all things went back to how they were before._

 _"Kyoko, are you listening?"_

 _Kyoko returned from her daze and came face to face with her mother._

 _"Sorry," apologized Kyoko._

 _"Don't get too carried away, okay? I was just telling you that your father would not be home until much later. Apparently, the number of tasks assigned to him today were much more than he expected. It's like he's a world famous preacher at this rate. Who could have thought? It truly was a miracle of divine proportions."_

 _While saying such words, Kyoko's mother even began tearing up a little._

 _"We must thank God for all this. He has been really good to the family, just like your father said…"_

* * *

"Watch out!"

At the last moment, Kyoko's reflexes allowed her to block an incoming attack.

With her spear, she parried a blade that flew towards her. She smacked it back and watched as it retreated back into the body of the enemy.

The Esuriens had finally materialized and took a swing at Kyoko with its wings. It had taken the shape of a winged beast, resembling a gigantic bird of prey. In lieu of a face, it instead had a crown and a cross-like object on its forehead.

Feathers scattered and circled the field with every flap of its eight angel wings.

The Esuriens flew up towards the ceiling and let loose a blood-curdling roar.

Kyoko's spear shifted into its segmented whip form and shot through the air.

Instead of hitting its target and knocking down even one of the wings, it found itself repelled by the storm of blade-like feathers that has been conjured by the Esuriens' action. The tornado of feather blades expands and shoots towards Kyoko.

With no way to avoid the attack entirely, Kyoko found herself being thrown towards the wall.

Kyoko took a while to regain her consciousness after the impact of the attack. She pulled herself up as she continued watching the bird stay in place.

"You're gonna get it!"

A clash of magic energy commenced as Kyoko extended her spear towards the Esuriens. The two powerful forces, her spear and the feather tornado that acted as its shield, collided with impact that shook the barrier.

Kyoko lost her balance, but managed to summon her crystalline shards just in time to deflect a set of blades that went hurling towards her.

The enemy dove down. This time, instead of being blocked by the wall, it simply crushed the wall with its sheer force.

Kyoko stood dumbfounded at the realization of her protective wall shattering apart.

A powerful gust of wind from its wings slapped the unmoving Kyoko aside, this time knocking her spear out of her hands and sending her crashing towards what was supposed to be the door to the room.

It was then that she finally got a clear look at the enemy's face.

Devoid of eyes, the cross on its forehead emitted a light that gave off the illusion of one. Instead of attacking her outright, the Esuriens stood still. Its wings were spread out in different directions, and light radiated off its body.

As it stared at the downed Kyoko, a sudden realization dawned upon her.

"Y-you… Father?"

Could it be possible that this monster fed off the dying memories of her father, his last thoughts, and his last regrets? Those might be what gave it shape, what gave it form. In that case, a lot of confusing things would be explained.

Why did this monster have angel wings? Why did it have the cross on its forehead?

Everything suddenly makes sense now.

"So that's how it is, huh? The wish I made for you did not only drive you to death, but also created this monster. Such a selfless wish with tragic consequence."

Kyoko mumbled more inaudible words to herself just as the Esuriens opened its beak and revealed several rows of serrated teeth.

Kyoko closed her eyes. She let go of her senses right before the Esuriens chomped her upper body off.

"No...!"

Only Kyoko heard that last whisper of hers.

Sensing magical energy, the Esuriens turned around to see Kyoko levitated several meters above. Her spear glowed with bright red flames, and she came down like an arrow.

The flaming arrow of meat and metal crashed through the back of the Esuriens, pushing it down and grinding its face across the floor.

The whirlwind of retaliation immediately destroyed any trace of Kyoko, when she reappeared, this time on the ground adjacent to the Esuriens' face. Not one, not two, but multiple copies of her spawned around the fallen monster one by one.

"Thank you father, for helping me realize something," echoed the multiple Kyoko copies.

"There is no such thing as a selfless wish. You may desire prosperity and peace for someone, you may pray and wish someone well, but in the end, everything's a farce. Everything's an illusion, just like this Rosso Fantasma."

The multiple Kyokos point their spears at the fallen Esuriens. "Thank you for finally letting me know the meaning behind this trump card. This would be the last time we will see of it."

Even though the multiple copies continued being destroyed each in one hit, they still continued reproducing. There was nothing the Esuriens can do but watch the Kyokos prepare a final battle stance.

"Father, mother, Momo… I'm sorry. I had been living under a false sense of what is right. I thought that I could be the hero that everyone needed. I thought I could take matters in my own hands and become the protector of the weak."

"That naïve Kyoko Sakura dies today."

The illusions all charge towards the Esuriens. The real one, hidden among the fakes, unleashed all her remaining magical energy into this final blow.

Red aura covered her in this glorious charge, and the brightest comet among the multiple shooting stars pierced through the chest of the Esuriens.

The cross on the monster's forehead shattered like glass before its body collapsed from having its whole body bisected from the blow.

"I'm sorry, father. I couldn't save you all."


	5. Chapter 5

Kyoko's spear plunged down the floor with a thud. Its wielder, exhausted from the battle in more ways than one, leaned against it as if the weapon is the only thing keeping her from fully collapsing.

How it managed to hold its ground from the weight of the girl it supported could only be explained by magic.

Kyoko felt her heart tighten as she silently watched the barrier fade away. It was a sight that had become regular, even mundane, for her. This time, however, the fading of the barrier felt a bit different. For once, Kyoko felt a personal attachment.

The barrier was the last memory of her father, the same father that loved too much, the same father that she cared for and made her wish for. That very barrier was the final fleeting remembrance of not just good memories. That barrier's collapse also symbolized a farewell to wrong decisions on her own part.

"Kyubey…"

Kyoko could only let out a whisper as a way to call that magical creature. With her family gone, her home in ruins, he was the only friend she had right now, if he could even be considered one.

Right before the last traces of the barrier dissipated, Kyubey stepped forward and jumped up Kyoko's shoulder.

 _"You called?"_

"Come to think of it, do you have an idea what these Esurientes are?"

Kyubey took a while to formulate his answer. With his unblinking eyes staring straight at Kyoko, he finally answered.

 _"Esurientes are monsters born out of human emotions. Pain, anger, sadness, all those other negative emotions are the triggers that spawn these monsters."_

"Is that so?" asked Kyoko. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Maybe I could have…"

 _"You never asked, Kyoko Sakura. You made your wish recklessly and never even asked about anything. I merely told you about the life that awaits you, and then you made the contract."_

Kyoko bit her lips. This thing had a point. Why didn't she bother asking anything?

She was in a desperate situation back then. Now, she was just slowly seeing gravity of her mistake. But, it was too late to do anything at this point.

 _"I don't understand you humans. You make decisions in a hurry, and then it leads to regret. When the time comes that your kind regrets your decisions, it is always me to blame. Your species feels the need to blame someone or something. I cannot release information if no one sent out a query or a question."_

"Tsk."

 _"If you need my thoughts, there's no reason to be upset. Wasn't this just like any other battle for you? You encountered an Esuriens, fought with it, came out victorious, and saved the nearby population of humans."_

At this, Kyoko had enough. As if a switch had been flipped, she snapped into action and grabbed Kyubey, holding the animal up with a firm grip.

"Just like any other battle?! Do you understand what happened? Are you blind? The thing I just killed was my father, and now, everyone's gone. How can you act as if everything is ok?"

 _"Hold on, Kyoko Sakura. You did get your wish, right? I made your wish come true. You should be happy that I held on to my end of the deal. You would not be in this position if you did not agree to my contract."_

Kyubey stopped the moment he felt Kyoko's hand tighten its grip. Besides that, the hand began shaking in an increasingly violent motion.

"You scumbag! How many girls have you tricked already?"

 _"Relax, Kyoko!"_ said Kyubey.

Kyoko released her grip by tossing Kyubey to the ground. His body bounced and released a squishy sound on impact. After rolling around, he got back up as if nothing had happened.

"How many girls have you tricked already?"

Kyubey shook his head. _"Humans can be so illogical. This is why Esurientes keep appearing. Humans can be so illogical and unstable with their emotions. To answer your question, girls have been making wishes for a long time already. In the big picture, you're just one insignificant speck of the many Cibi."_

Whatever reaction this drew out of Kyoko could not be determined, as she merely looked down.

Kyoko slowly pulled out the spear and reverted to her regular clothes.

"You're hopeless. Forget it."

Kyoko walked out of the door when Kyubey called out to her.

 _"Where are you going now?"_

"Nowhere. I don't have a home now, Kyubey. I'll just wander the city. Maybe I'll run into someone who'd give my life direction again. Besides..." She paused. "Your words made me think. It's a good thing my family raised me to be strong and resilient. This job's not for the weak and faint-hearted."

 _"And what do you mean by that?"_

"How many more girls would fall into your trap after me? If I didn't kill the Esurientes, who will? Don't tell me the weaklings that come after me would do it."

Kyubey tilted his head, a sign of apparent confusion. _"As long as humanity exists, the monsters known as Esurientes will continue appearing. Didn't you also say that you would no longer live and fight for others? Human words are so confounding and puzzling."_

"Heh!" Kyoko popped a Pocky stick into her mouth and smirked. "Who said a word about fighting for others? Actually, now that I think about it, battle has become… pleasurable. Maybe there's something to live for after all."

At this point, Kyoko had walked out of the door. She stepped out of the former Sakura residence and stared at the endless horizon.

"Kyubey, I hope you get it into that thick skull of yours that I cannot stand weaklings. Weak Esurientes, weak Cibi… I'll beat them all!"

Kyoko continued her aimless walk towards the main streets of Kazamino. She started out alone, but soon enough, a nagging presence began tailing her.

"You still following me?" asked Kyoko. "Now whaddya want?"

 _"Actually, I have received foresight from another Cibi. A powerful Esuriens, one that's stronger than anything you've faced so far, would appear in around a week."_

"Really? Now I wonder how you're getting this information. Still, a powerful Esuriens, huh?"

 _"If you wish to quench your claimed hunger for battle, I suggest you go take a look. It's not too far from here, after all."_

Kyoko raised her eyebrows at the proposal, then clenched her fist.

"You know, you can be one sly little devil at times, Kyubey."

The surrounding stalls that lined Kazamino's downtown shifted in color, interrupting their conversation. The red-haired girl smirked as she transformed into her Cibus attire. She summoned her spear after finishing the last stick of Pocky that she had with her.

"I guess that can wait until later, Kyubey."

She pointed her spear towards the new emerging enemy, the Esuriens who took the shape of a cloaked humanoid. With scythes as arms, it released an intimidating roar before gliding towards Kyoko.

Kyoko rushed forward, accepting the challenge.

"Hiyaaaa!"

Kyoko's battle cry resounded all throughout the barrier before the magical energies collided…

* * *

The door to the house in Mitakihara's suburb slammed shut with a loud bang.

In the otherwise tranquil hours of night, the sound was loud enough to send the last remaining birds at this time scurrying and flying away.

A green-haired girl stumbled out of the house. She landed on both arms and knees in a violent way after being kicked out of the house.

"It's all your fault! Now stay out of the house until that useless father of yours gets back!" yelled a harsh female voice from inside the house.

The girl stayed in place. She was motionless and made no sound, yet her eyes glittered with tears. She stared at the shut door and remained silent even as the cigarette burns on her forehead began hurting.

She had never quite gotten used to this form of abuse from her mother. Scars and bruises now lined her small arms and legs. These weren't formed overnight.

Should one dig into Yuma Chitose's earliest memories, one childhood memory was never present: The love for her mother and father.

The two had often fought, and Yuma's mother in particular casually released her stress by hitting Yuma. When she was in a really bad mood, the cigarette burns and the bruises from beating were the least of Yuma's concerns.

This time, Yuma finally began sobbing quietly as the memories of abuse and maltreatment began returning to her. She picked herself up and began her long walk towards the bright lights of the main city in the distance.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a swirl of magical energy began manifesting inside the house. No one sensed it – Not the mother inside, and definitely not the green-haired girl.


	6. Chapter 6

"Aaaahhh!"

In the midst of the crowd, Yuma stood alone. This time was the peak hour for one of Mitakihara's entertainment districts near its outskirts. People shuffled around both ways, practically filling the well-lit street with a thick mass of moving objects.

People moved around in a hurry. Whether it is due to this reason, or for something else such as being preoccupied with loud talking with their friends, the small girl was completely ignored.

Yuma blinked several times as she stared wide-eyed at a street vendor and his food cart.

The vendor saw her and gave her a wave. Nothing more, and all because he was made busy by the number of customers that flocked around his cart.

Yuma looked around before she resumed walking. Despite her petite figure squeezing between the masses that moved against her, no one paid any real heed to her. She did get a few stares, but those were mostly warm glances with a sense of familiarity.

This whole experience was not new to the little Yuma.

Maybe that was another reason why she was being ignored. At this point, the people in the area might have known her as the green-haired girl that always wandered around the street. Yes, it was true that under normal circumstances, she had been putting herself in danger.

For all the times she visited the streets alone, nothing ever happened to her. Even if this was a street notorious for fights or unruly drunks at the late hours, Yuma never once encountered trouble. If there were allegations of some divine intervention surrounding the girl, they might have had a semblance of truth at this point.

Yuma reached the toy-and-ornaments store at the other end of the street. At the door was a stout man who wore glasses. He immediately noticed Yuma and gave a warm smile fitting for a middle-aged man who had been through a lot with children.

"Hey, you're back. Looking for your old man as usual?"

The store keeper, who was in the process of calling it a day, called out to the girl. He resumed his work while Yuma approached.

Yuma nodded.

"Seems to be pretty rough going at home again, huh? I don't know where your dad went this time, but he'll probably be passing by this way again."

Before going back inside the store, he took out a small stuffed animal from his pocket, and handed it over to Yuma.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yes!" answered Yuma. She nodded with a big smile, the first smile she had for quite a while.

Happily clutching her new charm, she began to head back to the food stall.

Among the multitude of people waiting in the stall, one person in particular stood out to Yuma. That person had apparently just arrived. The girl's huge body easily took over enough space for two people. The red-haired girl, now in front of line, wore a green jacket and shorts.

Yuma eyed the girl carefully, when something stared right back at her. A pair of pink eyes were the culprit. The glare shot out from somewhere behind the red-haired girl.

It took a few seconds for Yuma to process what happened. Soon, the shape that housed the eyes slowly took form. A fluffy tail, covered in shadows, swung out of the back edge of the red-hair girl's jacket.

Any ordinary girl would have the first instinct of fear, and would run away at the sight of a suspicious-looking creature. Instead, Yuma waved at the pair of eyes.

"Hey, there you are, Yuma! On the wrong end of your mom's tantrums again? Geez, I swear, that hag…."

The laid-back voice caught Yuma's attention.

Her father walked down the street with his arm around the shoulder of another woman, one who looked much, much younger than him.

Yuma did not show any strong response towards her father. She stood in place and watched her father give the young girl one kiss before splitting up for the night.

A strong smell of liquor oozed out of this man. His lazily approached Yuma while slowly unbuttoning his shirt, all without his full consciousness. Several coins spilled out of his damaged pocket.

"Yuma, let's go home. I'm done for the day."

Before her father picked her up, Yuma gave one last look at the food stall.

The red-haired girl and the thing with pink eyes that she had with her had disappeared.

* * *

"What was that all about, Kyubey? You started acting weird all of a sudden."

Kyoko gobbled down a takoyaki while observing the group of people passing back and forth. She reclined, using up the entire space of the long bench at the side of the road.

"The vision… It's that girl from the vision."

Kyoko furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the creature who has somehow made a comfortable resting place out of her abdomen.

"Eh? How about you first tell me what you've been up to. First, the powerful Esuriens, and now a girl from a vision. How am I sure you're not pulling any bullshit on me?" Kyoko threw the takoyaki stick with force. "What a load of crap. You told me about this strong Esuriens spawning in Mitakihara, and there's nothing here! All of them are small fry, pathetic weaklings. I'm wasting my time here, you know that?"

 _"Hmm…. It can't be right. Perhaps she could be lying? However, I detect no such energy from her when she told me about that vision. That aura that exudes off people who lie, there's no such thing."_

"What are you talking about, Kyubey?"

 _"I am simply pondering the truth coefficient of the seer. Acco- whoa!"_

Kyoko had gotten up, which caused Kyubey to suddenly fall off her body and onto the floor with a plop.

"Ah, I'm going back to Kazamino. This isn't worth it."

It was at that point that both were stopped. Kyoko, who was in the process of getting up, stuttered and froze. Her mouth was left ajar when she glanced back and stared at the distance. Even Kyubey stopped and looked at the same direction.

In the immediate area, only the two of them reacted in such a way. Everybody else went about in their business, talking and having fun. Nothing seemed amiss if the immediate surroundings were to be examined.

The same did not hold true for both the Cibus and the mysterious creature.

"You sensed it, didn't you?" asked Kyubey.

 _"It's definitely different from what I've sensed these past few days."_

"Could this be…?"

From her bored state, Kyoko sprang back to life with a smile. "Yes, this is definitely it. Time for a real battle!"

* * *

Thanks to her magical abilities, Kyoko traveled faster than usual. With no proper estimation of travel time, Kyoko reached the outskirts of Mitakihara's lively chain districts.

The buildings and structures blurred in Kyoko's view as she rushed past them. Soon, the bright buildings gave way to a line of trees and residential lots.

As she sped through, Kyoko finally saw it.

The swirl of magical energy, a powerful black aura, and a large swath of tentacle vines dancing in the air. The vines began slamming to the ground, and the Esuriens finally showed its form.

A bowl shape emerged from behind the walled barricade of the house. The monster showed off its full form, one that resembled a pitcher plant.

The vines rose again, and Kyoko saw that one such vine had caught a person.

When it opened its gaping mouth, it promptly tossed the caught person inside its mouth and finished the meal with one snap.

The surrounding buildings slowly transformed into crystalline mirrors as Kyoko burst her way into the barrier. The mirrors reflected Kyoko's form and the body structure of the Esuriens. Besides the huge mouth and the plant-like body and protrusions, Kyoko noticed that the monster had a red core in the middle of its midsection.

There was another thing that the mirrors reflected: a green-haired girl on her knees.

'What is she doing here?' thought Kyoko.

The girl never moved an inch, despite the monster staring down at her. She didn't look scared at the slightest as well. Her eyes simply stared right back at the Esuriens, giving a look of curiosity and… apathy.

Even as the Esuriens raised its vines in a motion to grab the girl, she remained still.

"Oi! You have a death wish or something?"

Kyoko charged forward. With her spear summoned at her side, she bludgeoned into the Esuriens with a powerful charge.

The vines swung wildly like a whip coming from various directions. Covering the girl, Kyoko snapped her spear into the segmented whip as well.

She matched the Esuriens blow for blow. Despite being outnumbered in the weapon count, Kyoko fended off the attacks one after another.

The green-haired girl still wouldn't budge, and Kyoko noticed this. Her weapon returned to the spear form by this time, which she proceeded to point at the Esuriens.

"What are you waiting for? Go! I'll beat this weakling down in no time!"

Kyoko's feet pushed against the ground as a result of her bracing herself. With the gathered energy, she launched herself forward.

Esuriens vines all converged towards her location.

Kyoko responded by spinning in mid-air, slicing the vines en route to her powerful attack.

The red core of the monster lit up. The orb within responded by firing a concentrated beam towards Kyoko.

With nowhere to go, Kyoko decided to just unleash her magical energy and force her way through.

The magical power of the two resulted in an explosion that shook and rattled the entire barrier. The mirrors broke off one by one, shattering into pieces at the impact of the energy collision.

The beam subsided before Kyoko emerged from the smoke. Wounds scar her face, and blood dripped from her face, yet she remained steadfast in her form.

With one swift motion, she tossed the spear like a javelin, sending it right through the core of the Esuriens.


	7. Chapter 7

The Esuriens exploded in a mess of energy and smoke. The impact, done primarily by Kyoko's spear, had sent its multiple appendages flying everywhere before the body erupted from within.

Kyoko landed with a thud, her right arm held against the ground, having braced the rest of the body for the fall. One last appendage came flying towards her, which she eliminated with a slash.

Her job done, Kyoko now turned to the green-haired girl.

"Yo, what's wrong?"

Throughout the battle, she had sat on the ground and stared at the Esuriens. Even at the defeat of the Esuriens and the subsequent collapse of the barrier, she remained in that same docile position.

"Oi, I'm asking you what the hell is wrong with you!" yelled Kyoko. Her frustration showed in her tone of voice, and she stepped right in front of the girl, blocking her view.

"Mother…" weakly muttered the girl.

The girl ignored Kyoko completely.

Before she could respond in an otherwise rough manner, Kyoko observed the delicate features of the girl. Her otherwise smooth face was covered in bruises and wounds. In particular, she saw a mark on the forehead which looked like a burn.

It took some time before Kyoko managed to connect the dots.

"Hey, your mom died, then turned into that thing. Is that right?"

At long last, the green-haired girl snapped out of her stupor and nodded at Kyoko's assumption.

"Listen, she's gone. She's not coming back. The monster thing that you just saw had already consumed her from the inside."

None of those words carried any remorse for the girl who just lost her parent.

When she started thinking about this girl's predicament, Kyoko suddenly stopped. The thing that stopped her was no external source, but an internal one.

It was at this point that memories replayed onto her mind, memories she had thought to have put to rest weeks ago.

In a sudden shift of tone, Kyoko sighed. She stopped her provoking remarks. Something in her gave her the urge to know this green-haired girl more instead of letting her be. Deep inside, she started having a feeling why that is so.

"It's all right, big sis. I never loved mama anyway," said the green-haired girl. "She was always shouting. She always beat me up. She was always mean to everyone."

The girl showed no look of regret, no look of pity. Instead, she got up and began massaging the bruises on her face.

"Yuma, that's your name, right?" asked Kyoko. Something in her wanted to know this girl more.

Yuma nodded. "How about you, big sis? Who are you?"

In a spark of insight, she finally got it. Just like her, this is a girl who had the misfortune of seeing her parent transform into an Esuriens right in front of her. In a fit of rage, the parent had gone crazy and lost her will, turning into that mindless beast that knew only to consume and kill.

Yuma was just like her powerless sister before dying at the hands of the person she was supposed to trust and love. Kyoko cringed thinking what her sister's last moments were like.

Perhaps it was fate that brought her to Mitakihara. Maybe with this she could have done what she failed to do. Momo was gone, but maybe this scenario was brought together to give her another chance to set things right.

She had arrived before harm befell the little girl, a complete contrast from her failing to save her family back then.

"Just call me Kyoko. I am what they call a Cibus, someone who fights those monsters. They're called Esurientes."

 _"You know, you can be one too –"_

Before Kyubey's statement finished, Kyoko had grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up high. Somehow, he had appeared beside them once the battle finished. He had always been a spectator to Kyoko's battles, a seemingly innocent bystander who waited for the result, which always favored the red-haired Cibus.

"What are you doing here?"

After tossing Kyubey aside, Kyoko turned to Yuma and helped her up.

"Don't listen to anything he says, Yuma. You do not want to end up looking like me, right?" She ran her hand down her body. "If you do as he says, you'll become just like me. Listen to me, Yuma. You do not want to fight those scary things. You are not strong enough to endure that fate."

Kyoko got up to leave, but felt a tug on her jacket.

"Hmm! Yuma will come with you, big sis!"

For a second, the smallest hint of a smile came up on Kyoko's face. "I guess it can't be helped."

With a shrug, she walked away with this young girl in tow.

 _"I see…"_ said Kyubey. He had settled down and watched the duo from a distance. _"So this is the girl you spoke of, Oriko."_

* * *

 _"Still, I wonder about the nature of those visions, Oriko. Having also known about the fate of Cibi, it puzzles me as to why you are helping me. I just find it strange that of all girls, you are the only one who reacted as such upon knowing the truth. Humans can be so complicated."_

Kyubey had dropped down from a scaffolding and landed gracefully onto the floor of a rooftop. His slow paces moved him closer and closer to a certain figure. One look at the figure's huge size and body type would suggest that she was another Cibus.

Just as Kyubey called to her, the Cibus named Oriko Mikuni opened her eyes.

"It is not a source of concern, Kyubey. I have seen the future, and all is going according to the flow of fate."

Kyubey tilted his head. With his never-blinking eyes, nothing else could be inferred about his current expression.

"I believe that you have encountered the girl I spoke of."

Kyubey answered her in a nonchalant manner. _"That is not a mistake."_

"How did it go?" asked Oriko.

 _"The girl is a tough one. That is to be expected."_

Oriko looked at Kyubey before resuming. "Perhaps we need to make more drastic measures. Don't you think so, Kyubey?"

Without waiting for the reply, Oriko shut her eyes once again.

Just like what she had been experiencing for quite some time now, visions came flooding back into her mind. The scenes continue to play in her mind in a vague haze. One by one, she slowly heard anguished screams, the sounds of collapsed structures.

The future must be changed. Before they can take hold, the roots must be cut off.

The same vision that has been playing and tormenting her mind since a month ago returned.

* * *

 _Mitakihara was in ruins as a gigantic Esuriens ran amok. The white draconic shape crushed buildings and trampled structures with its might. Those who stood in its path either got trampled on, swept away by its mighty tail, or consumed by the chomping mass of teeth._

 _It was a different Esuriens, far more potent and powerful, to the point that the rules of the Esuriens barrier mattered not. It was a monster that voluntarily expanded its influence, and the barrier continued to grow and slowly engulf the entire city._

 _"People will die. Mitakihara will die."_

* * *

Those thoughts went through Oriko's mind on repeat while the visions and the anguished screams continued to tax her mind. She struggled not only in this mental battle, but in maintaining her concentration. She wanted to see this vision till the end.

* * *

 _The beast resumed its rampage, and a lone Cibus stood in its way. The identity of the Cibus was unknown, as were the true nature of her powers. One thing was for certain though._

 _This Cibus fell against the enemy, and the Esuriens proceeded to consume the entire city, dragging it to ruins and taking thousands of people towards their deaths._

 _If one Cibus could not do it, perhaps more would do._

* * *

 _"Maybe, just maybe, we can do something about this unjust fate."_

Oriko's eyes flung open. Her trance-like state ended, and she collapsed onto the tile floor. She looked around and saw that Kyubey was gone.

Letting loose a sigh, Oriko watched the image of a young girl with tremendous potential flashed across her vision.

Her mind was set.


	8. Chapter 8

"Oi, don't get so comfortable around in my room!"

Kyoko had folded her arms. She had just set today's hauls from the market aside and went into her room with Yuma sprawled on the small bed.

Maybe because the room was already messy to begin with that the green-haired girl's appearance and lazy posture didn't seem out of place.

Half-empty cans of softdrink littered the floor, as well as candy wrappers and various assorted plastics that used to contain potato chips. Somewhere in the dimly-lit corner, more paper bags gathered dust.

"Hi~" greeted Yuma.

She rolled on the bed and got herself into a prone position. Taking something from underneath the bed sheets, she revealed a bag. She then proceeded to consume what remained of the sandwich inside.

Kyoko placed her palm on her forehead while looking at Yuma.

"You can really be quite a handful, huh? Here."

She tossed a bag towards Yuma, who opened it and saw a bunch of lollipops. Wasting no time at all, she grabbed and began sucking on the brightest-colored one.

"Thank you, big sis!"

"Didn't I tell you before? Kyoko would have been fine already. I am not your sister, got it?" answered Kyoko in a stern way. Despite that, she seemed to be enjoying it and her statements held no malice.

"So, what happened today?"

To answer Yuma's question, the Cibus tossed an apple upward and caught it in mid-air before taking a bite. "The usual. Let's just say that a little magic can go a long way in making life easy peasy."

"Huh?"

Kyoko sat down on the bed beside Yuma and rubbed her hand against the much smaller girl's head.

"Just eat up and enjoy life. We have been through enough trouble already. It's time for a change."

Kyoko proceeded to stand at the corner of the room beside a window. She looked out, and her gaze skimmed through the Mitakihara nightscape, setting sight to the darkened city illuminated by various street lamps. Tonight, the sky and the city seemed serene. For the past few days, it has always been like this.

Once she began her life as a Cibus, these chances to just sit back and admire the world had diminished. Thanks to her new perspective, the appearances of Esurientes have become something to always look out for.

After all, it is the world that is wrought with beauty and cruelty that gave birth to these monsters. It is the very human nature and everyone's different feelings that spawn those that threaten to take those same precious things away.

Somehow, the Esurientes appearances had lessened these past few days, ever since she took care of the girl that came about from said girl's mother.

Kyoko collapsed onto the sofa that barely supported her frame. A slurp off a takoyaki stick later, Kyoko dozed off.

These past days had been a blur. After the Esuriens fight, she decided to let Yuma stay with her. With nowhere else to go, the two girls bound by similar circumstances settled down in a small hotel room a distance away from downtown.

At first, it was a chore dealing with Yuma. After being left without any parents, she was still every bit of a child. She would stroll around, get lost, waste food, and cause trouble.

Not that she was complaining about this matter, but Kyubey hasn't made his presence felt recently as well. Did it have to do with the fewer appearances of Esurientes?

There was definitely something off, but Kyoko was not one to dwell on such thoughts. For her, Kyubey being gone was one good riddance. She could only savor this moment, because it would only be a matter of time before that obnoxious creature would return, probably when another Esuriens appears.

A sharp sensation suddenly entered her mind, and her eyes flung open. This sensation is something that she had missed, and it awakened a feeling within her.

"This is…"

"Oh, you're up, bi- Kyoko."

Kyoko did not have an idea how long she was out for, but seeing Yuma with droopy eyes and a finished food tipped her that it had to be quite a while.

Kyoko picked herself up from the sofa and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Yuma.

"Erm, just a little stroll."

Kyoko shoved her palm out when Yuma began getting out of bed.

"You stay here, Yuma. Rest well, and wait for me."

Without allowing another word from Yuma, Kyoko stepped out and shut the door with a slam.

* * *

Yuma rolled in bed, unable to sleep for even one bit. Thunder echoed from outside the room. A storm raged on shortly after Kyoko left, and it had not let up.

Yuma gripped the blanket, using it as an imaginary shelter of sorts against the rain which beat down on the closed windows. Lights flickered on and off, and the window shook with each powerful gust of wind.

"She's not back yet…" whispered Yuma.

Despite just going for 'a little stroll', Kyoko had not returned.

Yuma clenched onto her blanket tighter, covering her delicate body, while the wind began picking up strength. Against the loud noise of gusts and thunder, she heard a faint voice whisper onto her ear.

"So, you are Yuma."

Hearing the different voice, Yuma flipped her blanket over. To her surprise, beside her was a girl, similar in body build to Kyoko, but with a very different appearance.

How did she get in here?

With their only similarity being the huge body builds, this girl wore a blonde side-tail. Unlike the casually-dressed Kyoko, the blonde girl wore a very elaborate outfit that covered most of her body. She wore a robe, topped with a headdress and a cylindrical hat, all wrapping her white.

Unlike Kyoko's rough nature, this girl's droopy eyes revealed a gentle aura.

"Who are you, big sis?"

The blonde girl walked around the bed in a manner similar to levitation. She landed behind Yuma and sat down on the bed.

"Fear not. I am not an enemy. My name is Oriko Mikuni, and I am the one who knows the fate of this world. The future of Cibi, Esurientes, and even you, I know them all. I have seen the various branches and possibilities of the future."

Yuma looked at Oriko with a bewildered look on her face. Clearly, she understood nothing. She had no idea what to make of what this new Cibus was talking about, and why she was telling this to her.

"Yuma, I know your thoughts, your feelings, and even your will and resolve. I know you desire power, and that you desire friendship. Such feelings were evoked from the abuses you went through, and your heart being touched by Kyoko Sakura. You were alone, and she came along, not only saving your life physically, but also granting yourself emotional stability."

Yuma stared at the Cibus. It was perfect timing to utter this line:

"Where is Kyoko?"

Oriko intentionally paused, allowing it to sink in for Yuma.

"Big Sis Kyoko would never leave me!" Yuma continued. "She promised me, and she always does what she promises."

"That is not what I meant. What I meant is…" Oriko finally stood up. "What if Kyoko found herself in trouble? She promised to return, didn't she? It is definitely a possibility that she ran into something, and will never get to come back. What if she dies?"

Yuma's eyes widened, and she flinched at that thought. It is certainly a possibility, one that had not crossed her mind until now, and for a good reason.

"You want to save her, right? You want to protect her, to not lose her. At the same time, you, Yuma, desire power. Shouldn't your course of action one that would lead you to protect the most precious person to you?"

"Y-you…"

"Let me guide you."

Before Yuma could finish, Oriko disappeared in a flash of light, but not before touching Yuma's head.

She had no idea what Oriko did with that touch. Likewise, she had no idea, but her feet began moving on their own.

No, Yuma was not under some mind control, yet something urged her on. Forward, onward.

She had no idea where Kyoko is right now, but she has to find her somehow.

Yuma opened the door to the hotel room and began pacing into a run.

* * *

The last of the Esurientes mob disappeared at the might of Kyoko's spear.

The battle has been won, but it was not without cost.

Kyoko held her injured shoulder with each deep breath, waiting for the barrier to finally collapse. When it did, the powerful torrent of rain came crashing down on her, completely soaking the lone figure that stood in a Mitakihara alley. The gush of rainwater also washed out a large portion of the blood draped all over her body.

Drenched by both rain and blood, Kyoko smiled.

She had missed the exhilarating battles against these monsters. The thrill from battling, the rush that came from slicing down one enemy after another… Kyoko had longed for this feeling, especially after the stressful days with managing Yuma.

It had been a very long time since she left the hotel, and the rain that had been going on for hours seem to show no sign of slowing down.

With each step Kyoko took, her soaked boots splashed water from the flood that had reached sole level. It was all a minor inconvenience.

For some reason, Esurientes have begun appearing in droves tonight. It must be them paying their dues for all the days of absence.

 _"I knew I would find you here, Kyoko Sakura."_

It was a voice that Kyoko had never wished to hear again.

At the end of the alley, Kyubey stood atop a lamp post. His dark figure, one that was set against the bright moonlight, cast a large shadow. It would not be surprising for anyone to mistake this figure for a ghost or a demon lying in wait, what with the entirely dark complexion and red eyes.

"It's been a long time. What are you up to this time?" asked Kyoko.

Kyubey gave no answer.

At that moment, a barrier began forming around the two of them. Kyoko felt a chill run down her spine.

Another Esuriens.

She'll deal with Kyubey later. There are more urgent matters at hand.

Kyoko transformed, but the moment she turned back, a sickle-like projectile struck her on the wounded shoulder…


	9. Chapter 9

Kyoko stumbled in face of the powerful attack that came out of nowhere.

The momentum continued to push her huge body forward, and she made an awkward tripping motion.

She turned around and swung her spear, all in one motion. The polearm caught the next projectile and successfully deflected it. The sickle went flying away, then right back towards the source.

The Esuriens roared the very moment its sickle-like arm returned to it. Corrosive acid dripped from its reptilian snout. It was then that it dawned upon her: She was extremely lucky to have avoided the follow-up attack.

A missed step and that second sickle would have pierced her heart.

For once in a long span of time, Kyoko felt her heart tremble. Her heart trembled, not out of fear, but out of excitement. She grasped her spear even more firmly than before and smiled.

She examined the details of the enemy, which looked like a bipedal crocodile with sickle arms.

What kind of sick being would give birth to an abominable creature like this? Surely this was not the prophesized Esuriens, was it?

She wondered about the possibility before catching Kyubey at the corner of her vision.

"You bastard, what did you come here for?! Answer me, now!" she yelled.

The sickles came flying forward once more, and she, now having at least half of her focus on the battle, managed to barely avoid them. She batted one away with her whip spear before launching a ranged attack at the Esuriens.

Another stalemate as the two attacks clashed and subsequently repelled each other. During the clash, Kyubey finally spoke up.

 _"Kyoko Sakura, let me just tell you this one thing. Someone very important has been caught up in this barrier. With each moment, the time of prophecy approaches."_

"Stop talking in riddles, you shit!"

Kyoko barely got the words out while she continued blocking the attacks of the enemy. During this brief moment, the Esuriens began its fast approach towards the Cibus.

It opened its mouth and signaled for a charging attack.

With each of its thunderous steps, the barrier, one that resembled rose-tinted stained glass, began emulating the effect of glass in the process of shattering. The colors gradually faded from red to blue, then to a navy hue.

Kyoko prepared to take the charging attack head-on.

* * *

"Where could she be?"

Yuma questioned herself. Out of instinct, she ran into the stormy night and found herself caught inside the barrier.

She was simply running aimlessly back then, when the surrounding rain suddenly stopped. Of course, the rain itself would never stop on a whim.

It was simply blocked by the formation of this Esuriens barrier.

With that, Yuma knew that she was running in the right direction. That Oriko girl's words started to make sense, too.

"Maybe if I can just help her…"

Yuma fumbled a bit, and her eyes shot up towards the roof of the dome that served as the Esuriens' sphere of influence.

The changed colors of the stained glass fascinated her. Somehow, she felt a slight connection with the imagery. Yuma had no idea, but the fleeting images that resembled people being drenched in dripping water evoked something in her.

It was as if the barrier's emulation of the weather outside created an illusion of tears dripping off hurt people.

In the midst of distress, Yuma felt her heart calm down for just a second.

Deep inside, she knew she found her resolve. Her mind flashed back to the event of meeting Kyoko. It hasn't been a long time, but she had grown to like the Cibus who treated her as if she was a beloved sibling. At least, that was what Yuma felt, after all that she had been through with her family.

 _"My wish…_ _I won't allow anyone to cry anymore."_

Yuma closed her eyes and ran into visions of Oriko within the darkness. "I'm sorry, Big Sis. I promise you, I will not regret this, not one bit!"

With renewed determination, she got up and hurried towards the sound of the explosions.

* * *

Kyoko parried the strike after strike.

The battle had taken a far different turn for the worse. While she initially had a very slight advantage in ranged combat, all of that advantage evaporated the moment the battle turned close range.

With each strike, she found more and more difficulty in reacting to the furious attacks of the Esuriens.

It all had to do with the nature of her weapon. Being a spear that could double as a whip, such a weapon held one crucial weakness. At close range, the weapon becomes unwieldy, and one has to constantly exert a lot of effort in order to move it from left and right.

In short, the spear which had served she well in her battles had become a liability.

She had faced enemies before in close range, but this was one of the few times that the enemy showed such tenacity.

She gritted her teeth as she looked at the Esuriens that continued hammering away at her.

The traces of the battle were there. With each strike, blood gushed from the wounds inflicted by the multiple stabbing attacks. It certainly took a whole bunch of damage and a severe beating. It's just that those attacks weren't enough.

The battle, having lasted for a couple of minutes, once headed towards her favor. Despite the preemptive attack and succeeding pressure, she managed to deploy her magical energy and keep the enemy at bay.

Now that her own power showed signs of weakening, the tides had turned.

As she continued to parry the swings of the Esuriens, Kyoko mounted one last push and created separation from the beast with a powerful thrust kick. Using the monster's body as a launch pad, she landed around twenty meters away.

She had a rough landing, but managed to find her balance long enough to slap one of her palms onto the ground.

Crystals shot out of the ground, forming a wall around Kyoko. The barrier then doubled as an attack when more black and red shards shot out of the ground. Each one of them came together and formed a crisscross pattern that surrounded the Esuriens.

The shards zigzagged around the field, striking the enemy from all angles.

For some reason, Kyoko found herself at the limits of her power. This has never happened before, not ever since she turned into a Cibus.

Regardless, she did not relent. Her thirst for battle has only been partially quenched, yet a certain uncertainty clouded her thoughts now.

If this thing is not even the great Esuriens that was prophesized by Kyubey…

"Oi, Kyubey!"

Her shout reached no one. Having been an observer to the battle for the longest time, she suddenly found the white cat missing at this crucial minute.

She had been wanting to confirm the identity of this Esuriens, and it seemed that Kyubey had a grasp on the situation while opting to keep her in the dark.

The frustrated thoughts were interrupted by the sound of glass shattering.

Shattered glass and crystal greeted Kyoko as she turned her head towards the monster.

"In such a short span of time…"

Kyoko raised her spear, blocking the boomerang-like projectile attack of the Esuriens.

With that block, she felt her footing slip. She gritted her teeth as she got into position to counter the incoming charge.

Just what was the secret to its endurance? None of the Esurientes had this kind of endurance before!

It did not just seem a whole league better in endurance, this reptilian Esuriens with sickle arms was another league in other physical parameters.

It seemed even faster than before, and in a brief instant, appeared in front of her.

Kyoko failed to react as its blades land a diagonal slash. A second slash crossed, this time with an upwards trajectory. The force of the impact cut her torso and sent her flying several meters away.

No, it was not the enemy that became faster. It was Kyoko who was becoming slower in every way possible.

For her, the next attack came like a flash. Before she even got to her feet, the enemy was upon her. Another powerful blow turned her world upside down.

With a loud thud, she collapsed. She crashed into the ground, and her spear shattered into magical energy.

The next thing she felt was the spike arm impaling her by the right shoulder. The Esuriens released the spike only to impale her in another area.

Despite the damage being dealt to her by the persistent attack, she struggled to re-summon her spear. With each strike, she found it harder and harder to muster up the strength.

"I… Can't let it end here!"

As if to shut her up, the Esuriens struck its final decisive blow. In one swift motion, the monster struck the base of her neck. She spat blood at the monster with the last attack. The battle has been decided right there.

Victorious, the Esuriens opened its mouth, revealing rows after rows of teeth hidden within that reptilian frame.

Before it could dig in on its prey, though, a pillar of light engulfed her. The Esuriens lost its balance and was knocked away by the impact of that light.

Before it could retaliate, a large object shot from within the pillar and cut its hand off. When the light faded, Kyoko was standing there.

The Esuriens' attack turned her into practically nothing but a very large mangled piece of meat, yet none of those wounds remained visible after the weird transformation. Even her magical power has been refilled. It was as if someone hit the reset button on her, and she had been restored to her perfectly fresh state.

She could possibly have been made even stronger.

"What the hell was going on?"

Kyoko's wonder lasted merely a short moment. Her brief look of surprise turned into a fiery and determined one. "Ah, doesn't matter. It's payback time, you shit!"

Setting aside the question about her sudden healing for now, she charged towards the Esuriens.


	10. Chapter 10

Yuma pranced through the barrier. However, at this point, lumbered would be a better word to describe her movement. The formerly petite child was now a really big child, and not in the sense of age or stature.

Despite having stubby feet, the green-haired girl moved forward effortlessly. As she moved towards a location, magical energy trailed in her wake. With a new attire featuring a predominantly green color, she hurried towards the sound of battle. She used one hand to hold her new catgirl-themed headgear.

"No turning back now, wait for me, big sis!"

Yuma gripped the weapon that came with her Cibus transformation. The staff shook in her grip. The weapon, decorated with a ball with a cat's tail, glowed with energy, one that is just expected from the release of energy from the birth of a new Cibus.

* * *

" _There you are, Yuma Chitose. Perhaps you are the one Oriko talked about. The girl of prophecy, the one who would bring forth more power than I could ever imagine."_

 _Kyubey propped himself up from his reclining position. Sounds of battle rang in the background, only to be cut off by a powerful explosion._

 _Seeing the running girl showing no sign of stopping, Kyubey dropped down from the post and softly landed in front of the Cibus._

 _Seeing the cat-like figure drop down and stare at her with bulging eyes, Yuma came to a screeching halt._

" _You. Could you be…?"_

 _Kyubey's ears twitched at the girl's voice that trailed off. Despite carrying his ever-unreadable expression, he slowly walked towards her._

" _Yes, it is I, Kyubey. Now, Yuma Chitose, is there any way I can be of service?"_

" _Tell me something. Please. Where is sis? Is she out there fighting?"_

 _Kyubey tilted his head before curling down on the ground in front of Yuma. "Kyoko Sakura is indeed fighting as we speak."_

 _Hearing that, Yuma crashed onto his soft body and lifted him up. The next thing that his eyes met were the two pleading eyes of the child._

" _Can you take me to her?"_

 _He shook his head and answered. "For what reason?"_

" _I got to get there and bring her back!"_

 _After her pleas, he simply slid out of her grip and dropped with his back turned. "There is no point. It is useless. It has been predicted by fate that in a little more time, the Cibus known as Kyoko Sakura would cease to exist."_

 _He began to walk away. He did not even turn back in order to look at the girl. He did not bother looking at the result of his words._

 _For Kyubey, the green-haired girl who dropped down on her knees simply showed behavioral irregularity that he had grown accustomed to with humans._

 _Those words indeed stunned Yuma. "I-impossible…"_

 _Her voice trailed off before she grabbed the white cat's tail with a powerful grip. "Tell me that isn't true! What are you saying?"_

 _Kyubey was stopped by the strong grip. With this, he glanced back at Yuma._

" _What I am saying is that Kyoko Sakura is about to reach her expiration date. Ever since she became a Cibus, she had sealed her fate. She lived for battle with Esuriens, and she will die in battle against one. Her end has been decided, just as all the other people in the past."_

" _Don't say that!" shouted Yuma. "Please, don't say that!"_

" _What good is it to deny the inevitable? I really don't know the deal is with you humans."_

" _Is there anything I can do to save big sis? Don't tell me that there's no way!"_

 _Silence followed, before more explosions from the distant battle filled the air with sound once more._

" _Well, if you really insist. There is one way."_

 _her eyes brightened with those words from Kyubey. "Really?!"_

" _Yes. In fact, I have the power to help you with that."_

 _He freed himself from the girl's grip and gave her a stare. "I can make one wish come true. Anything, as long as you agree to the contract."_

" _Contract? Just let me save sis!"_

" _Interesting…"_

* * *

With the sudden surge of a second wind, Kyoko skillfully spun her spear and sliced off one of the Esuriens' sickle arms.

The sudden swing of tempo in the fight favored Kyoko. After getting struck by a series of lethal blows, something happened, as if it was a miracle. That miracle revived Kyoko and allowed her to turn the battle around.

The Esuriens staggered back as it now struggled to defend against the continuous attacks. Kyoko thrust her spear forward with such speed that the multiple thrusts became a blur.

The Esuriens' large frame was battered by the constant attacks. One arm definitely wasn't enough to defend against everything, and before long, it found itself riddled full of holes.

"Die!"

With one last shout, Kyoko focused a large amount of her magical energy into one powerful thrust, hoping to finish it once and for all.

The powerful thrust followed, throwing the Esuriens several meters away.

"I have no idea what happened, but I'll take it!" said Kyoko with a smirk. She's definitely thankful for the miracle that turned the battle around, but understanding the reason behind that is not a concern right now. Some kind of divine intervention allowed her to snatch victory from the jaws of death, and that's all that matters.

"You made me break a sweat. I guess this means that I need to get stronger. I can't go on killing you guys if I die too soon."

Kyoko unsummoned her spear and prepared to walk away. For some reason, the barrier has not dissipated, and a faint reminder of the chilling aura of an Esuriens remained. With raised eyebrows, she stared back at where her attack tossed the enemy away.

"Still alive, huh?"

Facing her enemy once more, she looked more excited than surprised. Never mind that she lost the battle of attrition and nearly died the first time. She faced her slowly-regenerating enemy with renewed vigor.

"Come on, we can do this all day!"

The Esuriens roared. Putting its one remaining arm up, it began charging. Kyoko braced herself for impact. Holding her resummoned spear, she aimed it straight at the head of the monster.

The anticipated clash did not take place.

As soon as the monster took his first few steps towards her, a beam of light shot out of nowhere and struck a hole through it. Furthermore, several beams followed, and the Esuriens took the full brunt of the attack.

Strangely enough, it never recovered. Despite a tenacity towards her physical attacks, the monster seemed to be unable to regenerate against attacks made of pure magical energy.

The way it is, it would seem that even a second life might not be able to help her overcome this challenge. It had to be through an outside intervention, one that seemed so convenient, as if it was an ordeal by fate.

The monster, now nothing more than a lifeless husk full of holes, collapsed. This time, it was decisive. The Esuriens started showing signs of dissipating.

With that, the barrier began showing signs of breaking. Like an eggshell, the small crack began expanding, before the entire magical field collapsed from top to bottom.

With the barrier finally broken, rain furiously poured back in. Despite going on for hours, the torrential rains have not shown a sign of letting up in the depths of midnight.

"Whoever's there, show yourself!"

When she saw the source of the magical energy that finished the battle for her, Kyoko's voice trailed off.

"W-what the hell…"

Her jaws dropped open. Concurrently, the noise of the pouring rain was joined by the loud clang of the dropping spear.

* * *

" _I take it that this is all according to your plan, isn't it?"_ said Kyubey, finding himself back at Oriko's place.

"Repeating the same questions? You play around with an air of innocence. Yet, you seem to know even more than you're willing to tell me, Kyubey. Isn't that right?" responded Oriko.

" _Certainly, that is a possibility,"_ answered Kyubey. _"Perhaps I do know more about this world than you do. However, there could be a being that exists with a higher level of power and knowledge than we both do."_

Oriko sipped on her teacup. "A curious case. All I see is an unnecessary thirst of knowledge coming from such a peculiar creature. As such, I do not have the obligation to open up to you."

" _Hmm, is that so? Even if you spent so much time talking in riddles and helping me convert girls into Cibi?"_

" _Didn't you call humans complicated enough times already? I think that it would benefit the both of us to nurture that curiosity of yours."_

Having been left hanging, Kyubey just stared at Oriko.

"I would suggest you leave for now, Kyubey. I have to move on to the second phase of my plan."

Those orders were immediately followed by the white cat, who dropped down his resting pedestal and began walking away.

When Oriko confirmed that she was finally alone, she opened her phone and scrolled through the contacts list. Her large fingers stopped when she found the name she was looking for.

 _Kirika Kure_


	11. Chapter 11

Customers filled Mitakihara's downtown café at this sunny afternoon. Due to the fact that it was a weekend, in addition to an ongoing special collaboration, attendance was tripled, if only for the time being.

At the edge of the establishment, two large girls occupied what was supposed to be seats for four people.

"You still haven't changed one bit, have you?"

Kyoko made that comment while chomping on two servings of cake and bread. The comment was directed at the green haired girl currently seated across from her. Her face looked younger and more innocent, but as far as body build was concerned, both of them sported the huge, thick frame that symbolized a girl's transformation into a Cibus.

In contrast to the red-haired Cibus, Yuma was more conservative in eating. She never had the appetite to match her partner and was regularly scolded for it. She quietly sipped from the large cup of juice. Despite her quiet disposition, she seemed pleased with her drink, and with careful observation, one could hear a faint tune being hummed.

"Ehh? Is that so, big sis?"

Kyoko did not reply directly to her. Instead, she stared outside the window and gazed at the buildings surrounding the café. While taking a rare break from feasting, her mind was elsewhere.

"That Kyubey… How dare he disappear again after the battle."

It had been a few days after the long, drawn-out battle with the special Esuriens. It was definitely an anomaly, as it had seemingly limitless regenerating capabilities.

Even Kyoko's power that felled countless monsters from both towns were not sufficient in defeating it. It was only due to an intervention by a third party that it was finally put to rest.

It was Yuma, having acquired the power of a Cibus, who managed to defeat that Esuriens. For some reason, the Esuriens had a weakness to attacks of pure magic, something that Kyoko had never encountered before. Physical attacks were easily regenerated, very uncharacteristic of every Esuriens that she had fought during her whole tenure as a Cibus.

"Hmm, is there a reason behind this? Is there anything that Kyubey has been keeping from us?"

Deciding to clear her head for a bit, Kyoko stood up, albeit slowly due to her whole body mass. She took her cup and headed to the counter for more drinks.

It was merely a few meters away from where they sat, yet she proceeded with care. With her body, it would be quite easy for her to disrupt other customers if she would move on with her regular pace, and the last thing she would want is to cause a fuss with regular people.

She finished refilling her cup of soda and was about to head back to the table when she felt something bump her.

Barely saving her soda from spilling, she turned around.

"Hey, watch it! Can't you see what's in front of you?"

She gave a quick glare at the nearly spilled drink, and then angrily pointed at her body. It was unthinkable that someone could actually bump into her accidentally, especially with her stature.

"S-sorry!"

The slight high-pitched squeal came from a girl with brown hair. She wore glasses, and upon closer inspection, different colored contacts on her eyes. She hurried up in fixing her sailor school uniform and gave Kyoko a long, sincere bow.

'Talk about a redundant attire… But who am I to judge?' she thought with a shrug. After her initial angry outburst, she began regarding the shy girl with slight amusement.

"Whatever."

With that, Kyoko returned to her seat.

"What a strange girl."

"Huh?" asked Yuma.

"Nothing. Just some careless weirdo."

Kyoko glanced back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl that bumped into her. However, she was gone.

Kyoko sighed.

* * *

"So, you getting the hang of your powers yet?" asked Kyoko. "Nevermind. You're still too damn weak and careless at your state right now!"

Facing her in this enclosed and isolated space was her green-haired partner. Both girls were in their Cibus attire, with their weapons drawn. The sparring session has been going on for quite some time now. Both Cibi show signs of slight exhaustion from using their powers.

Yuma, facing the sight of the one that treated her as family, barely mustered a nod, leaving Kyoko with a slightly disappointed sigh. "You see, in battle with those Esuriens, you need focus. It is not every time that you can get a clean hit like what you did before."

Kyoko slammed the end of her spear to the ground before making her move. "Come!"

Yuma held her weapon and shot bolts out of it, which Kyoko easily deflected with her spear.

"Too slow!"

Hitting the ground, she followed up with the summoning of red and black crystals that lined up like a barrier. Seeing that attack, Yuma staggered. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively took a few steps back before turning around and running from the forming walls of crystals.

"Come on!" whined Yuma. She grasped her weapon as she lumbered away.

She looked over her shoulders and found no one behind the walls. The very next moment, her vision was filled with the huge frame of the red-haired Cibus.

In such a short span, Kyoko had managed to close the gap by traveling around her. "Something wrong? Where is that strength you mustered when you came to help me? Show it to me!"

Before Yuma could register what just happened, a blunt smack from the spear's dull edge struck her by the chin and sent her stumbling back. A follow-up sweep on the legs got her off her feet, causing her to crash a few inches away from Kyoko.

"I'm still not happy you ended up becoming a Cibus just like that. Let us just call this trial by fire, okay?"

Yuma backed off, then complained. "Take it easy, big sis! I made that wish to save you!"

Kyoko laughed that last statement off, then looked at her in the eye. Despite that laugh, she was in no mood in playing around.

"It's been a few days already, Yuma. There's no excuse for you to slack off in battle. What if you somehow run into a solo fight against an Esuriens? This is the life of a Cibus, not just perks in life with your newfound powers."

She turned her back on Yuma before glancing sideways with a cocky grin.

"The moment you take up that contract, your human life ends, and a new you is born: One that lives for battle. You either run away from that life and find yourself dead or you learn to love battle, salivate in the experience, and find thrill in slaying the enemies."

The confident smirk never left her lips all this time.

She raised her spear. Before the match could resume, she stopped. She held the spear firmly, and her face shifted to one that seemed on edge.

Yuma felt the same aura suddenly envelop the air. She hurriedly got up and began looking around for the source of that strong chilling aura.

There was no mistaking it. An Esuriens had spawned just now. As for its actual distance, it remained something that could only be guessed through estimation. However, since the two Cibi were able to feel the aura….

"It's not too far from here!" Kyoko exclaimed with renewed vigor. She began running towards the source of the distortion.

Yuma lagged behind, letting out a wail. "W-wait for me, big sis!"

* * *

"Die!" shouted a boisterous voice.

A gigantic axe was swung with immense force, bringing down the Esuriens with a powerful strike. To call it a massacre would be an understatement. The humanoid monster's entire torso was cleaved in two following the mighty swing. One of its arms flew off through the sheer force of the impact.

The attack originated from a Cibus, one with long, blue hair. Just like all Cibi, she had a large, thick frame.

"You should think twice before messing with the great Komaki Asako, shitty monster!" proudly claimed the Cibus. The handle of her axe hit the ground in a triumphant gesture.

It would certainly have been over, had it not been for one thing. The barrier had not dissipated. The kaleidoscopic surroundings that served as the boundary away from the world of the living persisted. Never mind the cold air that swirled around the area like a violent tempest.

"So, you're one of those guys, huh?"

Unfazed, Komaki turned around to see the Esuriens slowly regenerating. Her eyebrows furrowed as she waited for the monster to regrow the very limbs and body parts that have been crushed by her powerful swing.

She seemed to have knowledge about these kinds of Esuriens that had appeared in Mitakihara. Instead of entering a state of panic at the sight of the recovering monster, Komaki instead prepared herself in a ready stance.

"Guess you're those types who wouldn't die by repeated hitting. In that case…"

With her powers, Komaki engulfed the regenerating Esuriens inside a magical pillar which slowly began to take the shape of a bubble. With a sturdy coat, it looked more like a barrier meant to protect. However, an aura began enveloping the bubble before it can fully close.

As for what she had planned, no one could tell. The moment that she started trapping the Esuriens inside her bubble in preparation for her attack, a large beam shot out and sniped the Esuriens' head off.

"Who goes there?!"

She snapped as the barrier began dissipating. However, it was not the person responsible for the ranged attack that was in the place where the beam came from. Instead…

"Another Cibus?" wondered Kyoko. She walked towards Komaki with apprehension. Gripping her spear just as firmly as the blue-haired one did with the axe, she showed no sign of stopping.

Both of their eyes met, and Komaki braced herself.


	12. Chapter 12

"What is another Cibus doing here?" asked Kyoko.

She did not expect this. It had been weeks, and all this time she thought that she was the only Cibus around to fight these monsters . Herself and Yuma, anyway.

Then again, it was only natural. Given how hellbent Kyubey was in converting girls into Cibi, it was only a matter of time before she would run into a stranger of her own kind in this city filled with Esurientes.

"Tch! Who the hell are you?"

Komaki dodged the question and gave one of her own with apprehension. Her brash method of talking mirrored Kyoko, and so did her overall demeanor. Despite the barrier slowly collapsing, she never let go of her axe.

For some reason, seeing Kyoko made her really uncomfortable. Even without knowing anything about this girl, Komaki sensed a different air from this red-clad Cibus. She somehow had an air of violence surrounding her. Komaki immediately felt that this is one girl that she should steer clear from.

It's not that she did not show strong impulse herself, but above all, she had one duty. She had one mission and one thing that she livedfor…

Meanwhile, Kyoko spent her time looking at the sudden third party in this battle between her and the Esurientes.

Just like any other Cibus, she was stocky and well-built. Unlike her casual attire, however, this girl wore what looked like loose robes. Wielding an axe of roughly equal length to her height, she resembled one of those magic knights from stories. A brief semblance of a cape could be seen on a skirt worn over her pants, completing the appearance of someone skilled in both magic and physical combat.

"Same to you. You must be new here, huh? Guess I'll have to teach you the hard way what you've gotten yourself into. I don't know about you, but people should not be throwing away their lives for some petty reason like protecting the world or that crap."

Komaki's eyes narrowed down. Kyoko's words seemed to have struck a nerve.

"S-stop!"

From behind Kyoko, the source of the high-pitched voice came walking forward. The weapon in Yuma's hand was an immediate giveaway. The staff that she held, the only thing in the vicinity capable of ending that Esuriens, was a detail that did not go unnoticed for Komaki. With her mind set on this sudden development, her response to Kyoko was seemingly stowed away for the time being.

"Hey! I told you to stand back!"

"P-please do not fight!" pleaded Yuma.

"So, there's two of you after all. No way in hell can this red girl be the one strong enough to wipe off that monster. Say, what's your name?" asked Komaki.

"You, don't you dare ignore me!" interjected Kyoko.

"Yuma."

To her dismay, Kyoko was still ignored as Komaki had her attention fully set on talking with Yuma.

"Yuma, eh?"

She walked beside Yuma, then gently pat her head.

"Man, you startled me. Next time, introduce yourself properly, alright?"

With the awkward turn of events, Yuma nodded. Komaki chuckled, and soon, both Cibi were laughing as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, are you ignoring me on purpose?" asked Kyoko, seemingly agitated.

Perhaps due to Kyoko re-inviting tension into the current atmosphere, Komaki dropped her smile and backed off. She waved a short goodbye at Yuma then turned to Kyoko.

"Meh. I guess I should be off now. I have no more business with you. I have more important things to do as a Cibus than let myself be agitated by some random stranger. You may be a fellow Cibus, but someone as aggressive ain't worth my time."

"Hmph! You talk as if you're not so hot-headed."

Ignoring Kyoko's reply, Komaki made her axe dissipate and turned to leave, but not before raising her now unarmed hand. From where the Esuriens used to be, a stream of magical energy flowed. Energy combined on the top of Komaki's hand, finalizing its crystalized form.

"What is that?"

Komaki glanced with a smug look on her face. "Oh, you didn't know? Looks like you're words of being a superior don't mean shit, haha. You don't seem to have been fighting these things long enough, too.

"Let me be a nice girl and help you out for now. These things are called Recollections. They contain memories from these monsters from the time they were alive, human. For some reason, only these enhanced Esurientes that have begun appearing a few weeks back drop them."

"Human memories, huh?"

Komaki raised her eyebrows at Kyoko's curious inquiry.

"If you're planning on asking, they only appear if one manually extracts them from the remnants of the Esuriens. Well, then, I'm off!"

Komaki walked off, leaving Kyoko and Yuma behind. With the tension having been settled, the two stared at each other before Yuma broke off the silence with a relieved sigh.

"Big sis is so cool!"

"I told you not to show yourself until the coast is clear!" She smacked Yuma square on the head. "Who knows what that strange girl could have done and—"

Thus the lecture continued, while Yuma continued rubbing her head.

"She seemed a nice girl though!"

Even after Yuma's retort, Kyoko's words continued on and on, until they trailed off. It was something that Yuma did not expect from the more experienced Cibus, even after spending quite some time with her already.

"Um…"

Kyoko and Yuma both stopped at the soft sound of a curious girl. They both looked at the direction where Komaki left.

Kyoko's curious face transitioned into a scowl when she saw the origin of the voice.

"It's you again."

The reason for her reaction was simple. It was because she almost immediately recognized the brown-haired girl that bumped into her some time back. But more importantly…

"What are you doing here all alone?" asked Kyoko.

Before she could respond, the brown-haired girl collapsed. Kyoko stepped back in surprise, but upon closer inspection...

"H-hey, we've got to help her!"

Even before Yuma called for it, Kyoko already found her way beside that brown-haired girl. She placed a hand on the collapsed girl's back in order to prop her up.

"T-they're… coming…"

Without uttering any more words, the girl lost consciousness.

"Hey! Stay strong!"

Kyoko's words fell to deaf ears.

"Dammit, so she was the one that the Esuriens was after."

Kyoko continued examining the fallen girl. Her frail frame was littered with bruises and other injuries, probably a result of running away from the Esuriens before the other Cibus saved her.

"Let's take her to safety!"

"And where do you think that is?" asked Kyoko, although she already knew what answer to expect at this point.

Yuma's answer was immediate. "To our place!"

Kyoko sighed.

* * *

"See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

A group of girls exchanged farewells, and Komaki headed home. She gave one more look at the two girls, a twintailed one and a bespectacled one, and went off her way.

"There you are, Komaki."

Komaki abruptly stopped. "Still not showing yourself with those two, huh?"

She turned to the other girl, soon revealed to be Oriko.

Oriko calmly shook her head and quickly changed the topic.

"How goes the investigation?"

"Ehh, just as expected. I did run into a bunch of annoying Cibi along the way. At least that's one down. The rate of them popping up begins to worry me, though."

It was an air of silence that hung over the two of them. Before long, Komaki raised her hand and produced the Recollection, the memory fragment that she got from the Esuriens.

"Here."

Seeing the fragment, Oriko grabbed it with haste. With a sizzling sound, it melted on top of her palm, seemingly assimilated into her.

"Those two, huh?"

"What, you know them? The green-haired one was ok, but the red one pisses me off. She just acts and talks with such audacity… Argh, I can't!"

"Funny to hear that from you, Komaki."

Despite her calm disposition, there was a hint of a teasing intention behind Oriko's words. However, her mind was on something else. It had been so ever since she quickly implied the identities of the two Cibi that Komaki met.

However, her thoughts were snapped back to reality by the loud noise of Komaki clearing her throat.

"Like I said, the number of these enhanced Esurientes appearances is bothering me. You got anything, or should I just go around smacking these guys and collecting more fragments?"

"You know, I've been thinking about something. After this third Recollection fragment that you gave me… Perhaps I can find a way to link everything together."

"Ehh? What do you mean? You better make the explanation quick and simple, Oriko. The less talking and the more smacking, the better."

"The three memories seemed to be tied to something. It will take a while for my clairvoyance to determine everything, but I am beginning to see a pattern… As if the three Esurientes that you have defeated all connect to something."

Komaki let loose a frustrated groan.

"Again? Well, it won't help me if you keep talking in cryptic words. Meh, I'm out."

"You know, I'll just find another of these bastards and beat these fragments out of him. Perhaps a fourth one will do the trick."

Komaki walked away in a hurry. Such is the life of a Cibus.

"Hmph, I'll show you. You'll regret ever insulting the choice that I made."

She clenched her fist the very moment she thought of Kyoko's words.


	13. Chapter 13

Her two closed eyes twitched at irregular intervals.

Yuma continued watching the brown-haired girl. Having brought the unconscious girl to Kyoko's room, Yuma took it upon herself to stay watch. After the encounter with Komaki, the pair ran into this girl, who looked a lot worse for wear than she was now.

Thanks to the powers of a Cibus, her wounds had been healed by the Yuma and Kyoko's combined efforts. She now slept soundly, and her form, free of bruises and dirt, resembled a doll in calm slumber. All in all, she looked only a bit older than Kyoko. Without a doubt, this made her several years older than Yuma.

The brown-haired girl's eyes began opening as their owner starts regaining consciousness.

"W-where am I?"

Those were the first words that came out of the girl's mouth. Her eyes finally opened, and those eyes immediately gravitated towards the green-haired Cibus that sat beside her.

Surprised, her senses were all restored with a snap. In an instant, the girl sat up and quickly glanced around the large and messy hotel room.

"Oh, you're up!" exclaimed Yuma.

In an instant, she went over to hug the girl who at first glance dwarfed her in size. As the brown-haired girl received this warm reception from Yuma, she took another look and noticed another person sitting at the other end of the room and munching on something, seemingly deep in thought.

With the brown-haired girl staring at her, she turned. Their eyes met, and Kyoko stood up from her lazy sitting position.

"You remember the deal, right, Yuma?"

Kyoko's voice reverted the room back to its serious atmosphere a few minutes ago.

"So, you've come too. I have a few questions for you."

Kyoko now took her place beside the brown-haired girl, who was finally released by Yuma. Kyoko stood on the other side, and her eyes stared at the brown-haired girl with powerful intent.

"Who are you, really? Also, now that you're all patched up, can you tell me where you live so we can drop you off?"

Composing herself, the brown-haired girl began answering in slow, simple sentences.

"My name is Haruna. Haruna Tendo. As for the second question…"

Haruna shook her head.

"I ran away from home after a series of nightmares. Ever since that one day, I have been waking up each night into a nightmare. Monsters would appear and take all sorts of scary forms. They would chase after me. Every time I get caught, their fangs and claws would sink deep into me, and… The nightmare would end."

"That's so sad…" commented Yuma. In contrast to the green-haired Cibus' look of sympathy, Kyoko continued listening with a straight face.

"However, the nightmares began changing a few weeks ago. This time, the monsters began disappearing before I could be harmed. They would turn their attention elsewhere and never return."

Haruna buried her head in her arms as she took a pause.

"With each time that the monsters top their attack, the frequency of this has been lowering…"

Kyoko sighed.

"Alright, that's enough. Now I know what to do."

"Ehh?" wondered Yuma. "What do you mean?"

"Haruna, isn't it? Look, I have no need for another freeloader, much less someone I'm not even familiar with. Yuma here is already a handful, so let's just get this over with, okay?"

Haruna raised her head and blinked repeatedly, seemingly puzzled at Kyoko's words.

"You said enough, girl. If that's all true, then I guess that just means that those powerful Esurientes were coming after you, and you kept getting saved by a Cibus."

"Esurientes? Cibus?"

"Oh right! Gah, where do we start?"

After all, it was too hard to explain to a random human what they were. This girl did not even know how Cibi get appointed, how Esurientes spawn, and all that technical stuff. Kyoko hated long explanations, but she did not want this girl to wander off and be caught up in her curiosity. Doing so would just feed her eagerness to enter this world full of traps.

While Kyoko shuffled for an easy explanation, Yuma took charge. She stood up, faced Haruna, and began her seemingly far too simple explanations.

"Cibus are people like us! We have magical powers, and we rid the world of evil!"

Haruna nodded. Yuma continued talking like the chatterbox that she was while Kyoko just stood there, speechless.

"You remember those monsters? They are called Esurientes. They appear as monsters that can't be seen by ordinary people… in most circumstances," Yuma smiled as she found herself caught up and fumbling over her words. "We Cibi fight them and protect you all!"

Haruna nodded again. Now, a smile came over her face. She beamed with satisfaction at the green-haired Cibus.

"So that's it! Thank you for saving me from my nightmares!"

"Well, actually, I was wondering if you'd gotten into an encounter with a strange creature."

That statement certainly piqued Haruna's interest, and in a soft voice, she immediately replied, "Strange creature?"

"Yes! Yes! It looks like a cat, is whi—aw!"

The force of her ear being pulled, followed by a hard whack to the back of the head, cut her enthusiastic exposition. She faced Kyoko, who glared at her with a stern look that she had not seen for quite some time.

"That's enough, Yuma. Let us not introduce Haruna to a world where she doesn't belong."

After admonishing Yuma, Kyoko then returned her attention to the other girl.

"On one hand, I wanted to just let you be. On the other hand, I guess your ability to attract these Esurientes will come in handy for us. You see, we are both in need of some more battle experience, especially Yuma."

"Also, we can help get rid of the Esurientes threat like the heroes that we are, right?"

Kyoko left Yuma hanging, much to the green-haired Cibus' dismay. "Before talking big, make sure that you can stay alive in battle first! Cheap shots and crap like what you've been doing won't get you too far!"

"B-but!..."

Amidst their mild bickering, Haruna chuckled. It was a light laugh that served more as proof that she has been successfully recovering after the mess that the two Cibi found her in. While the two Cibi stopped for a moment due to hearing this girl's laughs, she stood up from the bed.

"T-there's actually somewhere I need to go," interjected the girl. "I have yet to tell you, but a voice from my nightmares could be the answer to ending it all. I still do not comprehend the situation, but…

"The voice in my head kept telling me to go to the 'Seven Stars of Mitakihara.' Only after contact with them will the nightmares end."

Kyoko was the first to complain. "So, in the end, recklessly killing monsters won't be any good? Tch, boring."

"Oh, what a twist!" shouted Yuma. "This is getting exciting."

"If that's the case, then looks like we have no choice. We should hurry up and get the show going ASAP," said Kyoko. "Let's hear what you have to say, then."

Haruna smiled in affirmation. "Actually, it would be better if I talked while heading to one such place. Let us not waste any more time."

* * *

" _Now, get out of the house! You witch!"_

 _A shuffling noise followed. The yelling voices fizzled out. Fuzzy noises, incomprehensible yet just as loud, replaced the clear shout of an adult male._

" _How dare you dabble in that… t-that monstrosity! It's a shame to have a demon's child within my own household!"_

 _The response was incomprehensible as well. At first, it sounded like a strong, rebellious female voice. However, as time passed and the exchanging voices faded back. The female voice gradually grew weaker as it was being overpowered by the male voice. Soon enough, a third voice joined the conversation._

" _How dare you answer back! You truly are a wretched being, you know?"_

" _I-I did not do anything!"_

 _A loud thud echoed. The sound of a large objet hitting human flesh repeated itself, seemingly in rhythm with the individual whimpers of a wounded girl._

" _I—I was just curious… I'm…"_

 _The girl never finished her sentence before getting cut off by the strongest thud so far._

" _May the Lord have mercy on you!"_

 _A final thud resonated, and all the loud human voices quickly faded into irregular bursts of static._

Oriko opened her eyes. She blinked repeatedly as she lay on the bed. With a hand stretched out, she repeatedly grasped the air in front of her before letting the hand drop down beside her.

"What a violent and malevolent memory."

Oriko sighed. She surveyed the quiet room. Solitude reigned, and she closed her eyes once more.

"Her report is not surprising, to say the least. Still, she managed to take it down herself without much trouble."

"Am I wrong? Was my vision wrong?"

Oriko attempted to revisit the memory. A look of pain slowly materialized in her face, slowly becoming more and more intense the longer she forced herself to view the memory.

"I don't like this. Either my visions have begun failing, or… I wonder what kind of even more profane memory will end up triggering the prophesized one."

With great effort, Oriko slowly opened her eyes and sat up from the humongous bed.

"No. My eyes never lie. This is just the beginning."

All of a sudden, Oriko froze. She grabbed her head, and her eyes widened in shock. "Again?"

The first thing that she did was grab her phone and immediately contact someone.

"Sector 8C. A troublesome one has seemingly appeared again…"


	14. Chapter 14

"Seven Stars my ass, what is so special about this place anyway?"

Kyoko's complaint caused echoes around the metallic walls of a factory-like area.

"Erm…"

Yuma's fingers fidgeted while the trio carefully moved up a rusty staircase. Haruna led the way, having claimed that she was to look for another part of the 'Seven Stars' that would surely cause her nightmares to cease.

She trotted forward with confidence, far different from how she looked when she first encountered the Cibi. She looked perfectly in place as the leader of the group, with Kyoko being resolute and Yuma showing a gingerly disposition.

Their path brought them to a wide scaffolding that took them from one area of the factory to another. As they crossed the wide metal plates that acted as some sort of suspension bridge, they began hearing the sound of water dripping from the hanging pipes scattered all around them.

"We have been going at it for half an hour already. Are we anywhere near?" complained Kyoko once more. Her impatience had been taking a toll.

Haruna gave her a meek glance and nodded once. "Actually… We're here."

The group had reached a large tube-like tower at the end of the factory. With a gentle push, Haruna opened the almost-broken metal door in front of her.

The door creaked as it collapsed under its own weight. Apparently, it also held together a large portion of the arch supporting the tower.

"Eep!" shouted Yuma.

The door held an entire arch that acted as the tower's entrance. Since the door had collapsed, the rest of the smaller scaffolding that held the tower's entrance collapsed along with it. As the dust cleared, one face of the tower showed a roughly-carved hole that now served as the group's entrance.

Haruna was the first to enter, flanked by Kyoko.

Inside the collapsed tower was a platform that ran along the tower's circumference. The path spiraled down, all the way to the bottom of the whole structure. The three carefully made their way down the circular path, one that continued. They descended further and further down, all the way towards the large field that served as the tower's base.

"It's too quiet. I cannot help but feel that we're being watched," noted Kyoko. All the while, she carefully held one hand against the walls of the tower, recognizing the inner structure as one of solid steel.

Upon entry at the tower, she and Yuma had transformed into their Cibus forms. One of Kyoko's hands firmly held the spear, aware that a battle could spark at any moment, given previous circumstances.

Yuma, who was quite anxious at the start, managed to calm herself and move on resolutely, or at least that is what it seemed. Whether she really got over her anxiety at this admittedly eerie area would not be proven as easily. For now, she seemed fine.

As they inched closer to the bottom of the tower, Haruna stopped in her tracks. Her final step onto the metal platform echoed with impact. The echo rang throughout the tower, showing the three girls how far they have descended into the dark depths… as well as how empty the place was for sound to bounce off the area that clearly.

It took a while due to the lighting conditions of the slightly worn down tower of steel, but at the bottom was a structure that looks like a pillar of marble.

"There it is, one of the Seven Stars that my dreams have been telling me about!"

Haruna jumped off the ramp and broke into a hurried run towards the pillar. At the top of the pillar was a crystal, shining in vivid blue luminescence. In the otherwise dark depths of the pillar, it remained literally the one shining beacon.

Following Haruna's lead, Yuma jumped off and went after her.

Kyoko, however, was in a less than excitable mood.

"What the hell is that thing doing here?"

Haruna was the first to get to the pillar. As she stood in front of it, her expression turned blank.

"Huh?"

Yuma spoke in an absentminded manner, having seen the change in their non-Cibus companion. Haruna had clearly changed for the meantime, and the vivid crystal began reacting.

The color fluidly shifted from blue to purple to red. With each shift in color, the crystal grew brighter and brighter, until…

"Watch out!"

Kyoko howled in synch with the entire area's lighting up in red luminescence. Red strings shot out from the crystal and hit the four corners of the room. From the strings, red crystals fell and quickly formed an articulate dome. The once dark depths of the tower have become an intricate dome that trapped the three girls inside.

Kyoko's loud voice had startled Yuma, and she barely had time to move out of the way of a gigantic shadowed figure that dropped right on top of her. Thanks to physical intervention by the red Cibus, she landed gingerly against the pillar.

It was only after a while that she managed to get a clear picture of the assailant.

With its large claws that resembled pincers, the arachnid Esuriens swung wildly at the dazed Haruna. With nowhere to go but face her inevitable doom, Haruna simply trembled in place.

"Out of the way!"

It took all she had, but Kyoko managed to launch herself straight at the Esuriens in time. With her lance, she surged through the air like an arrow and found her mark at the Esuriens' midsection. The impact of the attack forced the enemy to recoil. With a wheezing sound, it stumbled back, revealing more of its full appearance.

Resembling a cross between a scorpion and a spider, the Esuriens hissed at Kyoko, who had just dislodged herself from the enemy. It let loose a blood-curdling sound that shook the entire dome.

As it roared, the sound waves emitted from the monstrosity seemingly lit an airborne path towards the four corners of the dome. The path of the waves traced a yellow and black streak across the dome's ceiling, revealing four pillars that have spawned at the corners.

"What… is going on?"

Despite having summoned her staff for combat, Yuma surveyed the field with apprehension. Ignoring the enemy in front for the moment, she made a beeline for Haruna, who remained frozen in a daze.

Meanwhile, Kyoko engaged in direct battle with the Esuriens, who bared its large fangs out of its arachnid mouth. The red Cibus continued swinging her spear with precision, fending off attack after attack from the enemy's six front limbs.

Finding an opening between attacks, Kyoko spun in the air and slashed an appendage off with a powerful swing.

The attack caused the arachnid monster to stumble backwards. While Kyoko took a split-second to admire her work, black webbings shot out from the enemy's back. Instead of being directed at the primary target, Kyoko, the black string of energy shot all the way towards one of the pillars that marked the edge of the dome.

While this happened, the arms regrew themselves, and it began hacking away at Kyoko once more.

"Argh, you regenerating Esurientes piss me off! Yuma!"

"Yessir!"

Yuma fumbled a bit, before she let loose a powerful beam from her staff.

With an impact that rattled the dome, the beam shot a hole through the Esuriens' midsection.

Yuma smiled, yet a hint of uncertainty was in her voice. "D-did it work?"

The enemy had the pleasure of answering Yuma's inquiry. The holed part did not recover, but it instead spit out an unknown liquid in all directions. The Esuriens flailed around, spraying the substance all over the place. All the while, new black strands began shooting out wildly from its face.

The strands each connected to an edge pillar. Energy flowed from the pillars into the monster, and as it did, the hole on its chest began a slow recovery.

Kyoko noticed this, and prepared a powerful attack in order to cut off the source of energy… Except she couldn't.

Kyoko's movements felt sluggish, and it was then that she realized that the fluid spat out by the arachnid's wounds contained some form of adhesive property.

Of course it did, considering the nature of the enemy. Kyoko was just thankful that she wasn't completely paralyzed and retained capacity for movement.

Yuma felt a similar effect on her, as her movements started becoming slower than usual. However, unlike her senior, she did not rely on physical agility that much. All she had to do was to cast her spell and…

"Eep!"

Before Yuma could do anything, the gigantic monster was already in front of her. Despite being wounded by her attack, it roared in rage and opened its huge mouth.

In panic, Yuma fired off another beam, shooting off two appendages that were primed to deliver a finishing blow.

Its tenacity was simply astounding. Unfazed by losing limbs, it continued to push the attack. Right before the next attack, it staggered.

She may have been bogged down by the enemy's attack, but Kyoko willed her way back into the battle. Her spear dug deep into the Esuriens' back. She pulled it out and snapped it into its whip form.

Kyoko swung her whip spear with grace, dealing numerous slash wounds all over her foe. Under normal circumstances, enemies, even down to their internal parts, would have been torn apart by the sheer power of the numerous swings that dug deep.

Unfortunately, this one was no ordinary foe. The attack instead fueled its rage as it directed its sights at the shivering Haruna. Through the duration of the battle, Haruna had never left her trance-like state. With the two Cibi unable to truly deter this monster, the girl was nothing more than easy pickings.

A fourth black string shot out from the Esuriens. It shot straight at its one possible target: the final pillar that was spawned in the dome.

Once the Esuriens connected the four pillars with its strings, the entire dome began shaking.

"W-what's going on?"

In a panic, Yuma fired at the monster. This time, her attacks bounced off harmlessly. She blinked in disbelief, finding out that the enemy now had an energy barrier protecting it. The barrier began reacting with violent energy, and sparks from the pillars began eroding the walls of the dome. The Esuriens' body became covered by more and more lightning sparks.

"Shit! What is this?" shouted a frustrated Kyoko, who began whacking at the barrier with her whip spear to no avail.

With the loudest roar since the beginning of the battle, the Esuriens unleashed its entire amount of stored energy.

The impact from the explosion completely blew off the walls of the tower. Even metal got reduced to mere grains and bits, and the foundations of the tower began crumbling down. The impact caused chain reactions, and the whole structure collapsed and broke apart into chunks of scrap metal.

As the smoke cleared, the Esuriens roared. Having secured its prey, it began looking for whatever remained of those three helpless girls.

However, as the smoke cleared, the three of them remained, despite being in a braced position. In front of them, a new participant has entered the fray. Standing in front of the three girls was a large blue-haired one, carrying a similar weapon as the green- and red-haired Cibi…

"Heh! You owe me one, you idiot!"

The protective shell slowly dissipated, and Komaki turned to Kyoko with a smug look on her face. She smiled in triumph.


	15. Chapter 15

"You owe me one for this!"

As Komaki's protective shell disappeared, she pointed her weapon at the Esuriens. "So, it is as predicted. Hehe, she sure never lets me down."

"You knew?" asked Yuma.

"Oh, you're Yuma Chitose, right? You've been acquainted with her already, then."

Yuma wondered with a puzzled expression.

"Huh?"

Just then, the sound of battle interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see that both Kyoko and Komaki had left her, and both Cibi now engaged the Esuriens in melee range. She was once again left with Haruna.

With a concerned look on her face, she nudged Haruna, who was now slowly shutting her eyes. On the verge of unconsciousness, her eyes blinked heavily, and she used some effort in making sure that she stayed up. All her efforts to maintain consciousness were all for the sake at staring intently at the Esuriens.

"Raaahhh!"

Back at the battle, Kyoko hacked away at the Esuriens. Having released its energy in that one explosion, the barrier that it had faded along with the collapsed pillars. Its multiple legs were easy pickings for Kyoko, who masterfully cut them one by one.

After the enemy stumbled at the loss of its front legs, Komaki lunged from behind Kyoko. With a battle cry, she drove her axe deep into the Esuriens' forehead. The attack did a number on the monster, causing it to finally crash to the ground, exposing its midsection and spreading out its remaining legs.

The ultimate attack seemed to have manifested a severe consequence on the Esuriens – its regenerative capabilities had all but disappeared. If it was still there, it failed to keep up with the furious successive attacks of the two Cibi – who have been raining attacks on it in furious succession. While Komaki bludgeoned it head on, Kyoko had been slashing apart its body from all corners.

Using the distraction from the newfound ally, Kyoko battered the enemy's body with multiple thrusts.

The Esuriens had no options left. Its whole body had been subject to relentless assault, and it simply went to its final attempt at making a meal out of its two opponents.

It spun in place, flailing wildly.

"Nice try, but it won't work!"

Komaki's words were filled with confidence, and rightfully so. She hopped backwards in order to dodge the wild attack before launching herself back. Her next attack drove the axe down the enemy's forehead once more. This time, the outer shell of the Esuriens revealed a crack. Like glass breaking away, shards of the exoskeleton began crumbling away in the wind.

The sound of her axe grinding deep into the shell was followed by a series of crisper sounds.

With her spear in its whip form, Kyoko slashed the exposed midsection of the Esuriens repeatedly. The attacks continue to do a number on the midsection, until the last remaining shells protecting it collapsed into itself.

At least, the arachnid-type Esuriens had no more defenses.

"This is the end!"

Kyoko and Komaki yelled in unison. The two Cibi simultaneously drove their weapons into the exposed midsection and forehead of the enemy. Pushing with all their might, they forced their weapons through.

The Esuriens began fading and breaking apart. In one last violent tempest of an explosion, the whole body of the enemy erupted.

Kyoko and Komaki were both blown back by the strength of the explosion. The aftermath sent pulsing waves and rocked the whole area, mere seconds before the dome would finally shatter.

With the end of the battle, Komaki heaved a sigh of relief. She paced towards where the Esuriens was and grabbed it once again…

"Another one of those things that you show so much interest in, huh?"

Komaki put Kyoko's side comment aside for the meantime. She had more important things to do.

"Now, I have a question. What exactly did you mean by 'as predicted' a while ago? Is there something you've been up to without us knowing? What exactly are you?" Kyoko resumed with a question, but was once more ignored.

With her sights set on Yuma, Komaki hurriedly walked towards the Cibus. However, her main objective was not the green-haired Cibus, but the girl that had collapsed beside her.

She reached her hand out towards Haruna before getting stopped by Kyoko.

"Hey, I'll make you regret ignoring me, you know."

Kyoko had not withdrawn her weapon, and now, the tip of her spear remained inches away from the blue-haired Cibus' neck.

"I thought you had no business with people like me. Haha, you're funny, Kyoko Sakura."

Komaki managed a laugh despite having a dangerous weapon ready to cut her down anytime.

"Erm…"

Yuma fidgeted her fingers, unable to think of a quick comeback. She had seen this tension-filled scene before, and she furiously ran through her thoughts in order to find a way to prevent further escalation.

"W-w-why don't we just thank Komaki for saving us?"

That statement drew more laughs from Komaki.

"And you think that I would go through the effort of waltzing through here just to save the both of you? Listen. I only raise my blade for my friends, nothing more. Do not think that I went through all the trouble to save you slobs just because I wanted to?"

"Spit it out already. What are you planning?"

Only a straight reply would suffice for Kyoko's blunt words. Of course, that was what she got. However, it was in a rather unexpected form.

Producing a sheet of paper from her tight uniform, Komaki flung what looked like an envelope towards Kyoko's direction.

"Just like the both of you, I am also working with someone. I am sure that she has been acquainted with one of you by now."

Komaki gave Yuma a meaningful glance.

"Now, if you would excuse me, I have other matters to attend. All the answer will be found in the address in that envelope."

After much hesitation, Kyoko made her weapon dissipate. She turned away from Komaki and turned her attention to the envelope.

"Oh, and make sure to bring that girl with you."

Komaki's parting words may have seemed casual, but there was a hint of an imperative tone within it. Whichever person the address belongs to, she probably has a good reason to look for Haruna. Perhaps it is someone else who has been on to the appearance of empowered Esurientes.

As suddenly as Komaki appeared, she was gone. She had left the three girls alone in the silence of the now-destroyed tower.

Kyoko took the envelope and opened it…

* * *

The large marble doors opened to reveal a large and luxuriously-decorated hall. Taking center stage in the large carpeted hall was a flight of stairs. Two sets of spiral stairs headed upwards to the mansion's second floor.

Besides that, other objects of interest included several portraits on the white walls and a perfectly-polished piano at one end of the room. This was apparently a living room, one where guests were often welcomed. It made sense. After all, two doors that were framed by shiny strips of gold stood at the left and right ends of the room.

Whether they led to a multi-floor library or the master's quarters were anybody's guess. At this point, both were possible answers given how grandiose the place has been.

"Whoa…" said Yuma.

From the outdoor garden to the pearly gates and the lavish interior of the dining halls that could be seen from afar, the whole mansion was a place of wonders for Yuma. Who knew that a place like this existed?

In contrast to Yuma's eager curiosity, Kyoko has been quiet. There was no reason to transform into a Cibus or draw her weapon, but the place had an enchanting aura surrounding it. No doubt, this person, the lord of the mansion, has some connection to the world of Cibi and Esurientes.

If the ease of getting past the few household members by flashing the envelope and mentioning Komaki's name was any indication, this person must not have been just any other noble. The daughter of a politician, perhaps?

Haruna was in a similar situation. Normally quiet, she had shifted into an even more reserved state today. After the last episode of nightmares, her visions had grown dormant, at least for the meantime. Maybe this person also knew about her condition and was extending some help?

No one knew.

The instructions written on the envelope pointed towards the left door. Heeding the instructions, Kyoko took the first move and pushed the large door open.

What lied beyond the door was something that caught not just her, but also her two companions off guard.

A sea of green greeted them, as well as several large tables. Victorian-themed structures lined against the sea of green that formed the backdrop of the large indoor garden.

In the middle of it is…

"Nice to meet your acquaintance. So, you came, as Komaki instructed."

A large girl with pale blonde hair, no doubt another Cibus, sat in front of the largest circular table. She put her teacup down and stood up to acknowledge her guests. Her eyes and Yuma's crossed, and she smiled while giving the three people a long bow.

"Of course you would come. After all… I have already foreseen this result."

She extended her hand as a welcome to the three girls.

"Now, shall we begin?"


	16. Chapter 16

"Y-you're…"

Yuma's voice trembled at the sight of an all-too-familiar Cibus.

Seated against the backdrop of green in this spacious garden was none other than the one responsible for her current state. The one who gave her the push to make her wish and become a Cibus sat in front of her.

"Long time no see. How have your powers been treating you?" asked Oriko.

"Just who are you, and how do you know Yuma?"

Kyoko had no idea who this girl was who spoke so cryptically, nor was she interested. She stepped forward and stood between Oriko and Yuma.

"You know, I hate a lot of things. One thing I really hate is not having any damn clue what's going on when two people are talking. Better spill the beans, cause I am not in a good mood."

Oriko responded with nothing but a smile. Her eyes crossed with Yuma's. As if the two communicated, telepathically through eye contact, Yuma began talking.

"She was the one who helped me make my wish."

That did not make Kyoko any happier, if her responding voice was anything to go by. "What!? So you're the one responsible!?"

Before anything else, Yuma resumed. "She told me things, said that you will die if I do not do it. I didn't want it to happen!"

"That much is true," said Oriko. "It had gone all according to what my powers can show me. Weren't you on the verge of demise against that Esuriens, Kyoko Sakura? You charged in there looking for blood, yet you found yourself quite outmatched by the irregular phenomenon. Were it not for my actions and this brave girl's choice, you would have perished, and the town's ideal future would cease to exist."

Kyoko chuckled. It was never clear what her chuckle meant. However, there was a sense of slight bitterness as well as amusement. "Who the hell are you? Are you some kind of prophet? Who knew that I would run into one of those people that my father used to talk so fondly about?"

"I refuse to answer any questions about the nature of my powers."

"Tch! Then I don't have time to waste here. Besides, I spent so much time keeping her away from the battle. Just like that, and it was gone."

"Please, I know you didn't want it, but if I didn't do it…" Yuma's voice trailed off as she pleaded for Kyoko to understand. Meanwhile, Oriko saw this as a chance to push her own agenda forward. At least, the conversation will start going somewhere now.

"Regardless, I summoned the two of you here for a very specific reason."

Oriko returned to sipping her tea. With three empty seats around the round table, she motioned for her guests to take a seat.

"I think that there are more pressing matters that we, as Cibi, should focus on instead of petty quarrels and the past."

Hesitantly, the three girls took the seats across Oriko.

She continued her slow and paced sips. With closed eyes, she began in a solemn yet firm tone.

"I will keep this quick and simple. All of you have encountered much stronger variations of the Esurientes, haven't you? I do wonder where they come from. I want to enlist your aid in solving this case, and I believe that the answer is right in front of us."

She motioned to Haruna, and for the first time, the only one who retained regular human proportions became the sudden center of attention.

Haruna herself felt anxiety taking over in this sudden turn of events. Instinctively, she grasped onto Yuma's dress as all three Cibi eyed her, each with a different expression.

"My foresight already told me of your various trials with her leading the way."

Oriko gently put her teacup down, and waved her hand upward. In an instant, a magical power surrounded the garden. A swirl of purple and blue energy flooded the room, culminating with a similar aura emanating from Oriko herself.

Kyoko and Yuma looked around and saw the transition: The garden walls of green had become mist. In fact, everything else around them have become some sort of mist-like structure. Surrounded by a blurry haze of gray, Yuma clung onto Haruna in return.

It was then that it appeared. On one side, a scenario played out. The colors were poorly saturated, but the voice from the scenes was clear. It was a memory that Oriko had played in her head for who knows how many times.

Each loop had not made the memory any less painful for the oracle Cibus. She stared with an expression drenched with sorrow. Maintaining the ability to project the memories seemed to take a toll on her. Nevertheless, she soldiered on. After all, the sweat dropping from her forehead and her repeated pants were no issue given the matter at hand.

The bizarre scene at what used to be Oriko's garden did not end there. More scenes played out, one after another. In an unprecedented turn of events, Kyoko and Yuma were surrounded by flashbacks and visual representations of multiple painful memories playing simultaneously.

Yuma was beside herself throughout the whole thing. She couldn't help but watch as tears rolled down her big cheeks. Each memory was too painful for her: The ostracization at school, being left alone to fend for herself, even being brushed aside by her family due to her powers. The memories spelled a miserable scene that was too close to her heart.

Even Kyoko, who was not too interested in the whole presentation, couldn't resist turning her attention. In a way, the tragedy of the memories mirrored her own: She, who made a wish to protect her family, ended up causing the destruction of the family she sought to protect.

"What sadness…!"

Haruna finally spoke up, after seeing those memories.

"Stop it!"

It was a shout purely out of impulse. The projected memories and visions stopped just like that. The change was so sudden that Oriko was forcibly snapped out of her trance-like state. She stared blankly into space before turning her attention to Haruna.

Yuma was the first one to spring into action.

"What's wrong? Haruna?!"

Haruna had dropped down. Curling herself together, both of her hands clasped against her ears.

"These memories, stop! They're coming back… the Seven Stars and the monsters from my dreams!"

She shook uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Oriko just watched the panicked Yuma. Her calm aura suggested that she at least saw this coming.

"Snap out of it!" shouted Kyoko.

"It would seem that these memories triggered something in our guest here."

Oriko moved closer to Haruna. With just a touch onto the non-Cibus' forehead, she managed to calm Haruna down. It worked like a miracle, and soon after, she sat calmly back down. Yuma helped Haruna back to her seat, while Kyoko just stared, dumbfounded.

"Just what the hell was that?" asked Kyoko.

"Seven Stars… I see. Now, I get it," whispered Oriko. "Let me resume. After all, that result was what I expected.

"As you can see, the incidents of empowered Esurientes is by all means connected to that girl right there.

"Haruna-san, you know nothing about the time of your youth, right?"

Haruna shook her head meekly, while Yuma sprang up.

"Come to think of it, we never really knew anything about your past, Haruna," said Yuma. "You explained a few things here and there, but anything past the dreams was beyond us."

"That is because this girl's memories of childhood were locked through these seven people," Oriko continued. "Sometime during her childhood, she had chance encounters with seven people, the so-called 'Seven Stars.' Seven encounters… and seven falls from grace.

"Eventually, these people fell and became the Esurientes that you have been fighting."

"Hold on a second! How can we be sure that you are telling us the truth and not pulling some crap outta thin air?"

Oriko sighed at Kyoko's sudden inquiry.

"All five memory fragments that we have contain a single common factor: The presence of a girl with similar latent energy as the one that you brought.

"Your name is Haruna, right?" Oriko turned to Haruna once more. "The seven people that appear in these memories died while harboring powerful emotions. These wild emotions directed at you granted them so much power as they roam this world as vengeful spirits."

"T-that's a lie! Do you really think Haruna…" Yuma's voice trailed off. It was not of her own accord; Haruna had lightly pushed her aside, as if accepting the accusations.

"Is that not a possible reason as to why her memories have been washed away?" asked Oriko. "Haruna, you had caused much grief to these seven people. Surely, it is not strange for one to repress her memories. That would also explain your erratic behavior when the memories were being projected.

"Now, the ghosts of the past have been asking this girl to free them from their suffering. Only after their seals had been unlocked through Haruna could they be finally extinguished from this cruel world."

"And what does that have anything to do with Mitakihara? Aren't we all just doing her a favor for the sake of it?" asked Kyoko.

She ignored the concerned glances that she got from her partner Cibus and fixed her attention on Oriko.

"Everything. My visions tell of Mitakihara's end at the hands of an ultimate Esuriens. The visions coincided with memories of the empowered Esurientes. Right as they appeared, that vision began haunting me in my trance. Perhaps if we eliminate all seven enemies that housed these memory fragments, we can work together and defeat that last Esuriens. Better yet, we might be able to prevent that doomsday monster from ever materializing."

Oriko smiled. "Everything lines up together. We have almost grasped the answer, so won't you lend me a hand? Do not fret. Komaki and I have been gathering the memory fragments for this purpose. Perhaps once we gather all seven, we will have a clue in how to stop this disaster from taking place. All I want is a single favor out of the two of you."

Kyoko, however, was more concerned with other matters. "Wait a minute, that Komaki's been working with you?"

"Yes, and I implore both of you to work with us. We will prevent the great disaster in Mitakihara." She extended her hand. "All you have to do is to help us finish the investigation on the seven memories by handing that girl over to my care. She will lead the way to the final two fragments, and if we end this thing before long, perhaps the great disaster in Mitakihara will be averted. So, what will it be? Kyoko Sakura, Yuma Chitose, what will you two do?"


	17. Chapter 17

"Here, have some."

Yuma scooped up a small chunk from her cake and offered the rest to the girl beside her.

Haruna nodded and took the remainder of Yuma's order.

"Thanks."

Having left Oriko's residence with uneasy parting thoughts, the three found themselves back at the downtown café. The establishment remained full. Business has been going on so well, and people resumed their everyday lives, not knowing what really goes on with the other world, one that the three girls who were seated together had become more than familiar with.

"Don't you think it is a bit nostalgic? It has been quite some time since we have been here, hasn't it?"

Yuma directed the question at Kyoko. Taking a momentary break from eating, Kyoko nodded in agreement.

"You know, when stuff happens so quickly, you tend to lose track of time and all. It's not like we have anything to do besides live our lives and fight those things."

"Yes, but I guess with her as part of the group, things have gotten a bit livelier recently, big sis."

Yuma's response coincided with a glance at the bespectacled brown-haired girl. Among the three of them, she was the only one not sporting the huge frame and powers associated with those who made the contract in order to become a Cibus.

"Y'know, it kinda scares me at times, but I know that I can count on you. I'll keep doing my best, too!" said Yuma.

"Is that so…"

Kyoko did not seem too eager to respond. To say that she did not share the green-haired Cibus' enthusiasm would be an understatement, and she stared outside the window blankly.

Sensing that something was wrong, Yuma hurriedly talked. Her voice seemed upbeat, yet it was evident to anyone what her purpose was. After all, one can never have too much reassurance.

"Ehh? What's wrong? Aren't we keeping her with us and getting rid of those last few Esurientes?"

Kyoko did not answer immediately. Instead, she was deep in thought.

"I'm not so sure about that, Yuma," she finally replied. She stood firm despite the disappointed look in Yuma's face. "Who knows? I do not trust Oriko, but perhaps she knows a lot more than we do. Perhaps she would know what to do with her."

"Big sis…"

"You know what, we should give this more thought. For all we know, perhaps leaving her with Oriko would be the better decision."

It was at that time that Yuma stood up. "After all this time? Come on, we cannot just abandon her like this! We already agreed to help her and put an end to her nightmares. Why do you think that we should send her over with someone else? I don't want to abandon her!"

Perhaps surprised by the outburst, Kyoko failed to come up with a quick answer.

"Thank you." It was Haruna who made the first move and urged Yuma to sit down. "On the other hand, I agree with Kyoko. We should rethink this for a while. I am really curious with what that other Cibus, is that it…. Knows about my situation."

"That, and I might have been becoming a bother to the both of you, making you guide me or what. I have realized it since we went to that place. It might be better for me to stay with people who have an immediate solution, who knew what to do."

"No, that's not it at all! Haruna, you're not being a bother to us," said Yuma in an encouraging tone. "I already said it a while ago. Our lives have become a lot livelier since we picked you up."

Being at a standstill with a conversation that was going nowhere, Yuma sank back to her seat.

Kyoko, on the other hand, stood up. She turned a corner, presumably set to get something. In that instance, _it_ rang through the whole café…

Kyoko stopped in her tracks and looked back at Yuma. No one else in the café seemed to have felt that, but there was no mistaking it. It was a pulse of magical energy. It reverberated throughout the whole structure, yet those without a sense of the world beyond felt nothing.

Kyoko gave Yuma and Haruna a meaningful glance before heading straight towards the door. Understanding the cue, the child and the bespectacled girl hurried after her.

Led by the sensation of magical power, the three girls soon found their way approaching a highway with the multiple-branched footbridge.

"This isn't one of the enemies coming from your dreams, right?"

As Haruna shook her head, Kyoko smiled. "This ought to be a piece of cake, then."

The three avoided the rest of the people and descended down to a path that led them to a distant building. Seeing the distance from the rest of the busy city, the two Cibi began their transformation.

Right on cue, the dark, thumping aura of a barrier engulfed the three of them. Compared to the previous enemies that brought a powerful and unmatched evil aura, this one seemed a lot tamer.

In front of an old building, the Esuriens appeared. Taking on the form of yet another biological being, it started at the Cibi from eyes found in what can be described as its limbs. Just like the one that they encountered during the first time they took Haruna with her, this monster had an arachnid appearance.

This time, however, instead of looking like a full-grown spider, the Esuriens resembled something more like a harvestman: A disc supported by eight limbs that spread in all directions. As the creature sensed the approach of the Cibi, the numerous eyes that found themselves implanted on the eight limbs all turned towards the girls.

Sensing the challenge, the monster revealed a mouth from its underbelly. Liquid secretions drop from it, littering the ground beneath with a noxious mix of glowing goo.

"I'm going in!"

Kyoko charged. Heading into battle full of confidence, she gripped her spear and positioned herself for a mighty thrust.

As the enemy saw her charge, it braced itself by placing two of its eye-filled limbs in front of it. It seemed poised for a defensive maneuver, not that it mattered to Kyoko. Having been hardened by the numerous and seemingly endless waves of Esurientes, it would take a lot more than that to faze Kyoko.

The speeding blur of power met the limbs, and one side automatically gave way.

The limbs crumbled without much resistance, and the arachnid body collapsed to the ground, having lost balance by having half of its limbs destroyed in one go.

Kyoko triumphantly emerged behind the Esuriens.

"Your turn, Yuma! Finish the job just as we always did!"

"Um! Let's do this!"

Yuma charged her attack as Kyoko returned for a second wave of slashes. The incoming rays and beams bombarded the monster while Kyoko masterfully avoided each attack.

Despite the state that her body was in, which would have created a lot of chances for friendly fire, none of the beams hit Kyoko. Instead, the full force of the assault landed on the hapless Esuriens.

It was not a matter of Kyoko being agile for her size, although she was in her own right.

"Amazing…" commented Haruna under her breath.

Yuma winked back as a reply. "It's the first time you've really seen us fight together, right? We worked hard in practicing our timing!"

"Actually… Not really. We just 'clicked' together. We do not really know each other that well, but something just works, hehe."

Haruna continued observing the battle. The attacks kept coming, and in a short amount of time, all legs of the Esuriens have been decimated. The two Cibi have made short work of the enemy just like that.

"Down you go!" shouted Kyoko.

With a battle cry, she drove her spear straight through the body of the enemy.

The Esuriens dissipated after a feeble sound. The rest of its body melted into a liquid form.

"Victory!"

Yuma jumped in celebration. Seeing her work done, Kyoko carefully walked back to the group.

Despite that, something seems wrong. The Esuriens has been completely annihilated, yet the barrier remained. Was there another monster responsible for this barrier?

Kyoko readied herself for an ambush. There could have been another enemy lurking somewhere, watching from the shadows.

Without the group being aware of it, the Esuriens had reformed from the liquid somewhere behind them. Its limbs had grown back. It did not completely recover, but the arachnid shape was still there.

"Shit! How can I miss it?" Kyoko clicked her tongue in frustration. She herself was in no danger, yet she was in no position to intercept the attack.

Picking out Haruna as the weak link, the Esuriens lunged straight towards the non-Cibus.

"Watch out!" shouted Yuma.

Out of sheer instinct, she pushed Haruna away, putting herself in the way of the revived Esuriens…


	18. Chapter 18

Kyoko's jaws dropped open. She was stunned for a moment before regaining her composure.

"You bastard!"

Exuding a never-before-seen aura around her, Kyoko flew towards the Esuriens. Like a flash, she was immediately upon the enemy. Nothing short of "powerful" could describe force of the impact as she threw herself like a gigantic lance at the enemy.

She pierced right through the newly-revived monster. The battle was decided right there and then. No more regeneration… no more revives could bring back such an enemy that was completely annihilated by this almighty force.

The powerful gale sliced right through the torso of the Esuriens. Its limbs all came undone, and its main body was completely obliterated into miniscule pieces.

One of the limbs dropped down and released its captive. With the limb's grip finally loose, Yuma dropped down to the ground. Her face planted the ground, right as the barrier slowly became undone.

"Y-yuma…" muttered Haruna.

The non-Cibus, in contrast, was completely unharmed save for a few bruises. Everything had happened in a flash.

Yuma, the one in a position to react to the ambush, had pushed Haruna out of the way. In the process, completely defenseless in close combat, she took the full brunt of the attack.

Kyoko shifted her sight and looked back and forth between Haruna and Yuma. She ignored the bespectacled girl and tended to the fallen Cibus.

The result of the attack was clear. As blood continued to drip from Yuma's chest, Kyoko could immediately infer what the nature of the attack was.

The attack from the Esuriens pierced Yuma's delicate body. Judging by the impact of the attack and the size of the hole, it was a miracle that the attack did not immediately break Yuma's back.

Kyoko knelt in silence before turning her eyes to Haruna.

She spoke no words, but the message was clear. Haruna understood it as well. She got up and gave Kyoko a bow.

"I-I-I'm sorry, the both of you…"

She did not wait for Kyoko to respond. Haruna merely hung her head and ran back as far as she can. The non-Cibus did not look back. She did not bother, and she continued running off to who knew where…

* * *

"Where am I?"

Yuma's eyes blinked repeatedly. She was back in a familiar room, and almost immediately, an all-too-familiar scent entered her nose. As she expected, her partner was somewhere nearby, downing on some food.

Despite that, one thing was different.

Even in her position, Yuma's eyes quickly shifted between the different corners of the room. One person, a recent unofficial addition to the team, was missing.

"Feeling any better?"

Kyoko's casual voice urged Yuma to sit up. Her size gave her a bit of difficulty with this, but Yuma finally sat up. Somehow, this whole scene gave her a wave of nostalgia. It reminded her of the first time she was rescued.

The one striking difference back then was that the Yuma of the past was a tiny girl who had no clue of the world beyond. She was completely defenseless against these monsters that threatened the world. The same could not be said for now.

"What happened?" asked Yuma blankly.

"Don't you 'what happened' me!"

Kyoko then let out a sigh. The sigh seemed to loosen up a slight air of frustration. "What were you thinking?"

"I saw Haruna in danger, and…"

"Threw yourself in there to try to save her? Foolishness!"

With that, Yuma was stunned. Her gaze fell, and it took a while before somebody broke the silence.

"Where is Haruna?"

"Haruna this, Haruna that. Look at yourself, Yuma! It was a miracle that you even got up as fast as you did!"

It was then that Yuma fully recalled what had just happened. She immediately turned her attention to where the Esuriens pierced it.

Strangely enough, the wound had closed off, leaving behind smudges where she assumed her blood once dripped. Seeing that she had somehow recovered through some miracle, she asked the one more important question.

"Did you send her away, big sis?"

She knew that Kyoko would not be pleased with this, yet it was the more pressing concern.

"I didn't… Not directly, at least."

"Not directly?"

At that, Kyoko threw her hands up in frustration. "Arghh! She just left without a word. What would you want me to do, go on all night with her while you bled to death? Of course I would put you over that girl who is more trouble than she's worth!"

With a sudden strength that seemingly came out of nowhere, Yuma got out of bed and stood up in. She stood face-to-face with Kyoko.

"How could you say that? Haruna is already part of our group. We promised to see this thing through with her. How can we just abandon her and leave her out there?"

"Why do you care so much about her?" asked Kyoko. "She's not even with us for so long, and we just let her stay around to get to the bottom of the whole powered Esuriens thing. Who cares what happens to her? She'll just bring the final big monster out soon, and we'll take care of that one."

Yuma, in a rare show of resolve, shook her head.

"Big sis, I don't know about you, but I never thought of Haruna that way. If there is something that I can say… It's that you're mean!

"The worst thing one can do to her friend is to abandon her just like that! I know how it feels to be betrayed by the people you trust!"

 _Being betrayed by the people you trust, huh…_

Yuma's surprisingly strong words struck Kyoko. However, before she could recover and offer a retort, Yuma stormed out of the room.

"I'm looking for her. I don't care if you come with me or not, big sis."

Kyoko was left behind with no clue what to do. Her resolve was firm a while ago, but somehow, the strong words and sheer audacity of her partner seemed to have shaken her from the inside.

* * *

The grandiose door opened. However, it would be more accurate to say that it just moved a bit. After all, it was opened in a very delicate manner.

A girl wearing glasses peeked from the narrow gap on the door. The background of lush greenery looked the same as it was not too long ago. As if she was expecting her, Oriko sat on her favorite table and paid her no heed.

Compared to the last time that she was here, Haruna felt nothing different. That was so, besides the absence of her two magical companions. This time, she mustered up the courage to come here by herself.

Haruna stepped inside with renewed resolve. It had to end. She had to make this decision and trouble the duo no longer.

As she approached the white Cibus who did not even give her a glance, she noticed a third being in the room. Across Oriko was a white creature. The closest word that could describe it was a cat.

"So you came just as Oriko Mikuni said."

Haruna was taken aback by seeing a cat talk. Even stranger for her, the cat did not even move what looked to be her mouth. She tried her best to avoid flinching. That is not an easy task to say the least, given that what she appeared to be talking to were the two large eyes that stared right through her.

The huge eyes looked fixated on her, yet the whole face of the cat-like being lacked any semblance of emotion.

Seemingly ignoring the cat, Oriko finally talked.

"Have you made your decision?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Haruna nodded.

* * *

"Yuma!"

The long search at night brought Kyoko to the bustling night streets somewhere close to the heart of Mitakihara. People walked about paying no heed to her. It didn't matter. That was how Kyoko wanted it to be. Besides, the one that she wanted to find would easily stick out.

She had been going at it for hours. After some more searching, she stopped at the town plaza. The clock struck 9 when she decided to take a break and sit beside a fountain.

"Damn. What is she thinking, running off on her own? Tch! I'll drag her back and teach her a lesson she'll never forget!"

Kyoko recounted the conversation she had with Yuma some time back. However, she felt no reprieve, as it took almost no time at all for something to break her concentration.

"Ehhh? What do we have here?"

The mocking voice caused Kyoko to feel as if the world around her came to a screeching halt. It was a voice that she did not want to hear right now, out of all times.

Ignoring the rest of the bystanders, Kyoko's eyes turned towards the passage that led a certain distance away from the main road. Leaning on the wall was the blue-haired Cibus.

Komaki Asako stood with her back against the wall in a very relaxed manner. Compared to the aggressive and confrontational behavior she had when facing Kyoko at first, she looked… confident. This confident profile was not expected, and even Kyoko could naturally see that something was up as she spoke in a teasing tone.

"You seem to be in distress. Where's the other one, you arrogant snob? Looking for her?"

"Where is Yuma? Did you do anything with her?"

Komaki turned around and ran further into the passage. Giving in to her gut feeling, Kyoko went after her.

The path stretched out till who knew where. At the end of it all, Kyoko came face to face with Komaki, who had finally stopped running.

"Finally gave up running, have you? Now spill the beans. What do you know about Yuma?"

Komaki shrugged. "How strange of you. You looked down on me and my devotion to my friends. Look who's talking now."

"I have no time for games!"

"To be honest, I have no clue where that green Cibus went. However, I might have some information that might prove useful. After all, Oriko has gone on without me."

"Gone on to do what?"

"The last of the Seven Stars. Of course, our work became a lot easier. By some stroke of luck, that girl came to Oriko not too long ago."

"Then let's go and find them to get this over with!"

Kyoko was stopped by an axe that was drawn in a flash. Komaki had transformed into her Cibus form.

"There is no 'us' in this thing. Don't think that I will let go of what you said so easily. With my full strength, I will prove you wrong. I will show you the power that I gained from the resolve to protect my friends!"

In response, Kyoko drew her spear and transformed into her Cibus form.

"Very well. If I win, you spill the beans. Better prepare yourself because I'm gonna make this quick!"


	19. Chapter 19

"Who would have thought, that the last of the Seven Stars would be in a place like this?"

Oriko hesitated before she took a step past the dozens of crates that lined Mitakihara's harbor. She glanced back at the flickering lights of the city center that was several kilometers away.

11:30 pm.

She moved on with certainty and a renewed resolve. After all, she was completely sure of it. She was sure that once the last of the Seven Stars was unlocked, the mystery surrounding her vision and the powerful Esuriens would be unraveled.

" _Komaki should be here soon…"_

She closed her eyes and paused briefly.

" _Hmm… Strange."_

Her concentration was broken by something. Rather than be fazed by what was going on with her telepathic communication, Oriko resumed her brisk walk. Certainly, it was strange that she would end up being unable to contact Komaki at such an important hour. However, that was far less of a concern now. After all, Oriko might not prefer doing all the dirty work, but she was still a competent Cibus in her own right.

Meanwhile, someone behind her moved on with less resolve and certainty.

"H-hey, so your name is Kyubey, right?" asked Haruna.

Her words were addressed to the cat-like creature who trailed after the two of them. It had been hours since their first meeting, but Haruna had failed to remove the seeds of doubt with trusting this mysterious organism.

"That is correct. Is that all you want to ask?"

Haruna sighed.

"Um… I'm still confused about all this. About my nightmares, about these 'Seven Stars'…"

" _In that case, I think you should go ahead and talk to Oriko about this. I certainly don't know why you don't intend to ask the one who summoned you in the first place. I have no knowledge of the truth behind her visions, nor can I say anything with a hundred percent certainty."_

"I just figured that you might be able to help me. You know, you seem to be someone special."

" _If 'special' is the word you humans prefer to use in order to address a being like myself, then I have no objections. Then again, my job is just to grant wishes to girls and turn them into Cibi."_

"That is kinda what happened with everyone right? So, if you grant my wish, I would become big and powerful like them?"

" _Hmm… Such an event is certainly possible."_

"Is it true?! Then…"

For the first time, Haruna's face brightened up. She picked up Kyubey and revealed a rare smile.

"I have been thinking about it for a while already, but why don't you turn me into one of them. I wish for my nightmares to end and for everyone to be friends again!"

In contrast to his usual quick replies, Kyubey remained silent. His face continued to show no emotion, yet the deafening silence was enough for Haruna to infer that something is wrong.

"Huh? W-what is it, Kyubey?"

" _Um… It will certainly be my pleasure to turn you into a Cibus and join the fight against the forces of evil. However… something seems wrong. For some reason, the same process does not work."_

"Ehh?!"

Haruna let out another sigh, this time out of pure exasperation. Before she could resume her conversation with Kyubey, a voice called out to her.

"Haruna, perhaps you would come over for a while."

Oriko called her over, and the conversation with Kyubey ended just like that. Haruna gave a glance of regret at Kyubey before running towards the white Cibus.

* * *

"Raaaggghh!"

With a might swing of her axe, Komaki drew a large gash across the walls of an empty structure.

She narrowly missed her huge target, who accelerated thanks to her magical powers.

Anticipating the next move, Komaki swung her axe once more, this time to parry the incoming barrage of attacks from the spear that moved to end her in one flurry of attacks.

Thanks to her axe's width, parrying the large number of thrusts became relatively easy. While the weapons clashed and shot out magical sparks from their impact, Komaki smiled.

"Not feeling so confident now, huh? You severely underestimated me, bitch."

Swinging her axe sideways, Komaki managed to fend Kyoko off. She immediately activated her magical shell, granting her protection from Kyoko's relentless assault.

Finding an opening, Komaki deactivated her shell and charged at Kyoko. She managed to land a clean hit on the red Cibus with the blunt end of the axe and send her crashing onto another building.

Komaki stood tall, finally finding a reprieve after the battle that had lasted for approximately over an hour. If not for the seemingly endless powers that Cibi possess, neither of them would have been able to resume after the destruction that they brought as early as a few minutes into the battle.

Komaki herself looked worse for wear. She used her free hand to brush her hair before finally releasing a deep breath.

"Whew. My job here is done, I guess? Time to go back and finish the whole business with Oriko."

Smoke still continued rising out of the building that she threw Kyoko into. Sensing no more of the murderous intent that she felt when Kyoko struck first, Komaki slowly approached the building that had been reduced to rubble.

"Ah, it's a good thing that we did this somewhere without a lot of people and at this time of day. Who knew how many innocent people would have been hurt by our petty fight? Or at least… that was what Oriko would have said."

"I always told myself that I will make you pay for insulting me. Now, once I get in there, I will make sure that you eat the very words that you told me that day."

Komaki stiffened up as she approached the rubble. Something was wrong, and she can feel it. Ignoring her instinct, she continued talking.

"It's funny, you know? To think that I have the gall to call myself a hero of justice if I would just carelessly involve innocent people with this…"

In a way, talking has always been Komaki's way of releasing stress and anxiety. Her friends had kept mentioning that she's too loud. That was just her way of affirming her thoughts… that was her way of granting herself the confidence to push on.

Komaki raised her axe and prepared to charge in. Just as she thought that she had finally shaken off all the doubts, she hesitated at the sound of an arrogant-sounding voice.

"That all you got? You harp on and on and on about friends this friends that. It's pathetic if you think that you can save anyone with that kind of strength!"

Out of the rubble, a red flash shot out like an arrow. The arrow aimed at one target: Komaki's heart. With barely enough time to react, Komaki forced herself into a defensive position in order to parry the joust attack.

Kyoko's force proved to be too much, and her charge continued pushing Komaki back. In what seemed like an instant, it was the blue Cibus who found herself launched towards another building.

Regardless of the situation, her opponent was nothing but tenacious.

Komaki used her axe to brace for impact. The force that sent her flying was able to carve a deep hole into the wall of the structure even with her best defensive maneuvers.

The battle was far from over, and Komaki immediately got back into the fray with a wild swing of her axe.

Having regained her footing, Kyoko hopped back and dodged the swing. Using her magical energy, she manipulated her gigantic frame and leapt upwards. In mid-air, she snapped her spear and transformed it into its whip-like form.

A series of spins and hard-hitting slashes from the whip-sword pushed Komaki back.

"Didn't I make it clear already? I am not gonna apologize to you; I see absolutely no reason to!" shouted Kyoko.

She finished her downward assault with a masterful spin that knocked Komaki off her feet.

"Whichever way you put it, you are weak. Would a resolve like that be able to protect all those that you held dear?"

At those words, Komaki clenched her fist. She was not ready to give up yet.

"I would rather die a thousand times protecting those who I hold dear than walk the path that you are in!"

Stretching her arm out, Komaki gathered magical energy.

Paying no heed to what she was doing, Kyoko charged. The move turned out to be a big mistake as she immediately found herself inside a shell. It was one of Komaki's signature abilities. The shell that has been used in order to protect allies for so long was now being used as a containment ability.

"Shut up and stay still. You're finished and you know it!"

Komaki angrily pointed at Kyoko. In response to her taunts, Kyoko simply stared at the blue Cibus.

What happened next was way beyond Komaki's imaginations.

As if it was made of thinly-coated glass, her shell shattered. All it took was Kyoko striking her spear outward.

Komaki was caught in a daze when Kyoko began her dashing attack.

She caught herself and swung down for her response. The attack met Kyoko head on. With the axe swinging vertically downwards, it brought a swift end to the aggressor.

However, something was wrong.

It was a tad too late. The moment her axe went down, her eyes realized that the enemy has gone past her. The one that her axe cleaved in half dissipated, as if it was an illusion, a mirage that she could never hope to catch.

Blood erupted as a horizontal slash opened up across Komaki's midsection. Losing the last bits of her magical power, the axe broke into shards, and Komaki dropped to her knees.

"Why? Why can't I win!?"

Komaki punched the ground. She did so until she released all her remaining energy. Tears flowed down her eyes as she broke down.

"What a waste of time. I'll just have to find those two idiots myself."

Kyoko turned back and began walking alone. She began the battle hoping to get some answers, but seeing the state that her opponent is in right now, it was of no use. There was nothing to gain from waiting for this naïve Cibus to calm down. Even so, there was still no guarantee that she would completely tell the truth.

Leaving behind the blue Cibus, Kyoko began rethinking her thoughts. She filtered the wail of frustration that soon followed and began reflecting on the fight.

" _You're not too bad in battle, to be honest."_

As her thoughts shifted to the aftermath of the battle, Kyoko began realizing the effects of the battle. True enough, her arms began aching, and her body began feeling the burden after exhausting itself of its magical energy.

Sensing a brief outburst of magical energy from the distance, Kyoko stiffened up. It might not be a certainty, but it might lead to the answer that she sought.

" _The truth is, I understood your plight. Of course, no one understood it better than one who made a wish for others. She ultimately paid the price for her foolishness. That once idealistic girl paid the ultimate price, and she swore to not make the same mistake again."_

Brushing off the last thoughts of anything related to Komaki, Kyoko headed towards where the energy signature came from.


	20. Chapter 20

" _So this is what it looks like. The last of the Seven Stars."_

Oriko's thoughts were kept to herself as she looked on with a mixture of intrigue and surprise. After all, this was the first time that she had the chance to witness this event firsthand.

The two girls had found themselves inside a huge empty stockroom at the edge of the harbor. A strange crystal was held atop a pillar, and in a place such as this, the smooth, marble-like pillar stood out among the old, worn-out crates.

The crystal placed atop an all too familiar pillar of marble shone as Haruna touched it. This crystal, far larger than the ones that Haruna had unlocked, emitted an aura that alternated between dark purple and ebony. Instead of alternating and shifting into different colors, the colors merely shifted between the darkened hues.

The end result of it all was a beacon that shone with an ominous light.

Just as it had always happened, the crystal atop grew to its maximum intensity, and it shot out the rays that formed what was an Esuriens' barrier.

Transforming into her Cibus form, Oriko raised her hand and summoned several metallic spheres. She stepped back and moved away from the crystal. She had readied herself, thanks to reports from Komaki.

Inside this crystal is a powerful Esuriens. After dealing with it, it would surely spawn the final memory crystal, the final piece of the puzzle that might answer her questions regarding the identity of the ultimate threat. Having known the traits of all Esurientes spawned in this manner, Oriko knew how to easily deal with the enemy created by this final crystal.

The barrier finally materialized, and Oriko was taken aback for just a moment in order to stare in wonder.

White walls surrounded her. The room materialized, and at the end of the process, it resembled something similar to the halls of a cathedral. Stained glass lined up the walls, and animated images began flashing. One by one, multiple voices echo around the barrier.

" _Impressive."_

It came from Kyubey, who had kept his silence throughout the ordeal.

Oriko tried her best not to let her guard down. This was all for naught as she began recognizing the images that flashed in front of her eyes.

Looking up to the images, Haruna also grew wide-eyed from the revelation. It all came flashing back to her. Those images were the memories that were shown to the group at Oriko's residence.

Oriko continued her blank gaze. "What is going on here? This has never happened before, and these images, out of all things."

" _How dare you dabble in that… t-that monstrosity!"_

" _May the Lord have mercy on you!"_

" _Haha, look! Our little miss goody-two-shoes is back to her weird antics. Come on, let us have some fun, pretty please?"_

" _Oh… what are you gonna do, tell your parents and have them call some god to punish us?"_

" _Why are we upset? It is simple. You did what the Lord absolutely forbid."_

" _Grace and justice go hand in hand. We cannot just overlook this grave sin you did. For this very reason, we hereby excommunicate you from the order."_

" _I don't know what happened. She suddenly stopped showing up. Such a shame. She was doing so well, too. If this keeps up, I really have no choice."_

" _No one understands me. No one does. They should all just disappear!"_

The voices resonated with one another. As the memories come together, they began painting a concise picture of what happened with the bearer of these memories. Oriko did uncover some of them through the fragments delivered by Komaki. However, it is only now that she was able to see and hear everything in full detail.

This time, light from all the visions converged and shot Haruna from all angles.

"T-that…"

Haruna collapsed. Her body simply dropped down and remained a heap on the floor. Oriko moved closer, and she could tell that Haruna was mouthing something all this time.

"I remember now. All these negative emotions… I remember why they hurt so much."

All the while, her eyes were flushed open. Her bulging eyes stare straight into the unknown.

"Those are… my memories."

Not giving Oriko a chance to respond, Haruna levitated and let out a long, extended scream that shook the very foundations of the dome. Light from the visions that impaled her from all angles began turning pitch black.

" _So that's why it was impossible to grant her wish."_

Left on his own, Kyubey started making sense of the situation. There has been something that has been bothering him for a while, if it is even possible, and it corresponds to what was happening right now.

" _An irregularity… So, there really are some things that we do not know of. Unthinkable._

" _To think that there exists an Esuriens so powerful and deep in her malice to spawn more of her powerful kin. And to think that she even had the capacity to seal her memories and live life as a human being."_

Kyubey stared on and witnessed Haruna being surrounded by the dark aura. Four pairs of black wings erupted from her back, and her body's form began becoming more and more contruted.

"Truly amazing," finished Kyubey.

Oriko, having seen the transformation, immediately fired beams from her spheres.

To her surprise, the beams simply hit the newborn Esuriens without leaving a scratch. She gazed in awe at the new enemy. The Esuriens that was once Haruna finished its transformation. Covered in what seemed like black ooze, the dark angel spread its wings and arms out and roared, its head distorted into one that resembles the head of a dragon.

From its arms sprouted large draconian claws, and it made a powerful glide through the air, heading straight at Oriko.

Oriko continued with the barrage of beams. While some of them found their mark on the skin of the Esuriens, the wounds simply regenerated in no time at all. Worse, the beams were not powerful enough to slow the enemy's approach.

Oriko took the full brunt of the charge and was sent flying several meters away.

The white Cibus struggled to regain her footing when she saw the black ooze "peel" off Haruna's Esuriens. Underneath the black coating was a new skin, one filled with eyes that shift back and forth.

However, what made Oriko stutter was what happened next.

"T-this is…"

Oriko's voice trailed off the moment she saw what was taking place.

As the Esuriens let out roar after roar, the barrier began moving outwards. The barrier which resembled a cathedral slowly began expanding.

"What is going on? Kyubey, what is happening?"

Right after coming out of hiding, Kyubey stared wide-eyed at the Esuriens.

" _Such a phenomenon cannot be explained. How amazing… for an Esuriens to have such ability. Barriers normally have no capability of extending beyond their initial reach. This is something else."_

"Now is no time to be stuck in awe, Kyubey!"

Just then, flashes of her initial vision came back to Oriko. She recalled the lonely Cibus on the verge of death, fighting against an Esuriens more powerful than any other.

"So this is the meaning of the vision…?"

Now, it all started making sense. The barrier would soon expand to cover the entirety of Mitakihara. Fighting alone, Oriko would be no match against this new threat. If only she had anticipated it all. It was truly a costly misinterpretation. Instead of preventing the greatest Esuriens from awakening, collecting the Seven Stars was instead what did the entire city in.

"I refuse. I refuse to accept this!" yelled Oriko.

Letting out a yell of her own, Oriko unleashed more beams from her spheres. While increasing the radius of the barrier, the Esuriens had left itself wide open. Taking full advantage of this, Oriko shot beam after beam. One after another, the attacks continued non-stop even as Oriko began panting and running out of breath.

The Esuriens staggered. The attack apparently put a stop to the expansion of the barrier. However, the fight was never to be decided that way, as the Esuriens began regenerating from the damage.

In response, the Esurients put both arms together and shot a powerful beam of its own. The beam moved towards Oriko like a flash but not before leveling the ground and leaving a trail of cracked earth on its wake.

Seeing the damage and power from the attack, Oriko managed to move out of the way. A direct hit from that would have disintegrated her at this rate.

"That was close. Now, it's my turn!"

However, to Oriko's disappointment, her turn never seemed to come. The Esuriens fired beam after beam in a similar rate to her attacks. Now, it was Oriko's turn to be completely on the defensive, trying her hardest to dodge all attacks coming her way.

In the midst of the frantic attacks, Oriko missed a step and fumbled down. Seeing this chance, the Esuriens shot one decisive beam towards the white Cibus.

Just before the attack hit her, a beam from another source hit it from a perpendicular direction.

"Are you alright?" cried a female voice.

For some reason, the Esuriens stopped with the attacks. It eyed the figure coming from a distance with unreadable intent.

Standing before Oriko was an all-familiar green Cibus.

With her own weapon ready, Yuma took an offensive stance, ready to join the battle.


	21. Chapter 21

"Good thing I arrived in time!"

Yuma fired some more beams from her staff. The Esuriens deflected both attacks with ease.

Somehow, it did not retaliate. It just kept looking in the general direction of Yuma and Oriko.

"Would you know where-"

Without letting Yuma finish, Oriko pointed at the gigantic Esuriens in front of the two Cibi.

"I humbly apologize, for I have made a miscalculation. The whole thing with the 'Seven Stars'… the memories that flashed over from the fragments…"

Yuma gave another look at the creature that was supposed to be Haruna. She surveyed the beast from head to toe. "You're lying…"

Yuma still reeled from the revelation. How could she accept that the weak girl that she saved and the meek human that she sought to protect would turn up being this fusion that resembles a dark, draconic angel?

"As much as I want to say the opposite, I am telling only the truth. I am truly sorry."

Silence followed. However, it was Yuma who first spoke, and she did so in a surprisingly upbeat tone.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault."

She turned to the Esuriens, and it was as if a switch has been flipped. Her tone instantly became firm and resolute, a stark difference to the Yuma that Oriko first interacted with.

"None of us knew what was going to happen. You know, I did not want to let Haruna go with you. But I think that we would eventually have to face this problem head-on. These few hours had me thinking."

"Even if Haruna stayed with us, I figured that we would have to complete the 'Seven Stars' eventually. At least with this, I would have an extra Cibus by my side to take on the challenge."

Oriko's relief was cut short as she noticed something missing. That's right. Of course something – rather, someone – is missing: the red Cibus that usually led the charge with Yuma in its wake.

"Come to think of it, did you come here alone?"

Yuma nodded, and there was a hint of sorrow in her expression. "Yeah."

Despite that, she managed to keep up a forced smile, albeit for a moment.

"Although, I would not worry about it. I am sure that Big Sis would come. She always does. She always saves me in the nick of time! If there was anyone that I will entrust my life to, it is her!"

"That is truly reassuring."

"Hey, Kyubey?" asked Yuma. "Can you tell me that the monster in front is Haruna? I just want to be completely sure before I make my next move."

Kyubey tilted his head and stared at her.

" _Of course. That Esuriens surely came from the human being that you called Haruna."_

"I see… Then, if that Esuriens is Haruna, is there a way to get her back to her human form?"

"Interesting question. I cannot say for certain, but I have no complete knowledge of the complete capabilities of a Cibus. Such a thing has not yet been done before, but I cannot confirm whether it is truly possible or not."

Yuma nodded. Her serious façade obviously hid some sort of happiness that has welled up inside her, one of hope. "Good enough."

"Haruna, here I come!"

Magical energy flowed into her cute-looking staff. With renewed vigor, she charged towards the Esuriens.

* * *

"How dare she look down on me!"

Komaki smacked a wall with her clenched fist. With her magical energy exhausted from the battle with Kyoko, she was unable to keep her Cibus transformation up.

It was not something to worry about. Thanks to the powers of a Cibi, it would not take too long for her energy to recover.

"Just wait, you..."

As she continued airing her frustrations, a rather eye-catching sight caught the corner of her eye. Komaki glanced over her shoulders out of instinct.

She was alone.

There was no one else in the now-empty and heavily-damaged passage which was the setting for her destructive clash with another Cibus.

Not one soul in sight, yet Komaki felt a sense of uncertainty within her. Unease slowly but surely crept up and consumed her.

It was then when she saw her.

A Cibus, that was for certain.

No, it did not resemble the red-haired one that Komaki fought a while ago. She could tell that the new Cibus had dark, brown hair. She failed to take notice of any other detail besides a weapon that the Cibus held on her arm.

"Come out, whoever you are!"

No response.

Growing weary of it, Komaki walked forward. However, the tingling feeling of unease never eased up. In fact, it was even worse than before.

It continued to grow, and Komaki finally felt a chill run down her spine.

Was it fear? Even she could not tell.

However, the next thing that registered in her mind is the kaleidoscopic surroundings that engulfed her. While still in her weakened state, she turned around and stared at whoever… or whatever was behind her.

A long, decisive stare into the abyss…

* * *

The battle raged on between the Esuriens and the two Cibi.

"Haruna, stop!" begged Yuma.

She fired beams in order to deflect the Esuriens' projectile attacks. She ran in a circle, trying to find an opening, but the enemy gave none.

It was no easy feat for the monster. While it kept track of Yuma's movements, it was also busy keeping Oriko at bay with its other arm. Needless to say, the Esuriens resembled a two-way turret that continually fired off its projectiles.

"How long are we gonna keep this up? We should just hit it with all we got," suggested Oriko, just before she was sent flying by a particularly powerful collision between her projectile and the Esuriens'.

With one opponent down, the Esuriens made its move. Flying on its wings, it glided through the air and managed to land a horizontal swipe across Yuma's right. The attack caught Yuma off-guard, and she dropped her weapon.

Without another chance to resummons her weapon, Yuma realized that the Esuriens was upon her. She hopped back just in time to dodge another swipe.

It was a desperate battle. Yuma began faltering in her resolve. With each dodge, she began slipping. Barely able to keep up, she failed to avoid an upward swing and was sent flying.

Meanwhile, the Esuriens swung its other arm sideways.

A powerful beam of light emanated and headed straight for the still-recovering Oriko. The beam found a gap between the slowed attacks of the white Cibus and sent her flying.

Finding a decisive advantage in battle, the Esuriens let out a ghastly wail.

The barrier shook, and the designs in the ceiling began shifting positions. Shadows started separating from Haruna's Esuriens and shooting out in all directions.

From a distance, they look nothing different from shadows. However, from somewhere close by, Haruna could see that those shadows had forms. Forms resembling Esurientes.

Not just Esurientes, but the ones that have been giving them so much trouble.

Yuma barely crawled to her feet as she realized what was happening. "H-Haruna…"

"We cannot keep fighting like this. We need to finish that thing before it finishes us," said Oriko. "It will keep spawning its kin unless we do something now!"

Oriko took a look at the battlefield right in time to see the Esuriens pick Yuma up by the neck and toss her aside.

"There is no helping it. I shall take care of this myself."

Seeing this, Oriko stood up. She prepared an attack that would hopefully turn the tide.

However, her follow-up attack was never necessary.

From someplace she did not know, Oriko saw a figure shoot out like a powerful arrow. It was a beam of light, one that pierced the arm of the Esuriens and caused it to stagger back.

Yet it was not a beam, but a person. To be specific, it was a Cibus.

A confident voice directed at Yuma rang out from the figure. "Man, I take my eyes off you and you go around doing something this fun. Couldn't you have told me, at least?"

From her prone position, Yuma looked up at her savior. There was no mistaking it, not with those crimson locks that seemingly shone like a beacon of hope in the desperate battlefield. With her signature Pocky stick on her mouth, Kyoko let out a boisterous yell.

"I've been waiting too long for this! Alright! Time to get the show started!"

Pointing her spear at the Esuriens, Kyoko brought out the biggest smile she managed to muster. The white Cibus did not escape her notice, and Kyoko was quick to fire out some more words.

"So, is this the big one that you've been dreaming 'bout?"

She clicked her tongue in a confident manner. "If we kill this thing, we end the whole ordeal, right? Let's not waste any more time!"

A sigh and a look of exasperation was what she got in return from the white Cibus.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"Ha? What's wrong?!"

"As you can see—"

Yuma was quick to interject. "Haruna is in there. That Esuriens is Haruna!"

Kyoko paused. "Is that so?"

The solemn look that threatened to take over for an instant was immediately flushed out and replaced with a smirk.

"In that case, then we just beat the hell out of that thing and force our girl out!"


	22. Chapter 22

"Raaaagghhh!"

Kyoko wasted no time going into the offensive. Her moves were swift, and in a blink of an eye, the large distance between her and the Esuriens once known as Haruna was closed.

It looked as though she was in no worse condition than when she began her battle with Komaki. Kyoko's spear snapped back and forth and shifted form during the onslaught. In one second, she would thrust the weapon onto the monster that looked like a grotesque fusion of mythical creatures. During the next moment, she took a hop back and relentlessly battered the opposition with its nunchaku-whip form.

Despite all of this, the monster kept up with Kyoko's attacks. At the very least, her actions forced the monster into perpetual motion. Her blows pressured the monster into continually blocking and shifting its stance.

That was to be expected. After all, the moment one of Kyoko's blows manages to land a clean hit, much more would follow with scary accuracy. Kyoko's ability to deliver follow-up blows was one of her strengths as a rookie Cibus, and it only grew in an astounding rate in a short amount of time.

However, the Esuriens was not without its outs.

Emitting an aura, it pushed Kyoko away, if only for a brief moment. However, that was enough for it to send its claws out and reverse the tide of battle.

Suddenly forced on the defensive, Kyoko turned to blocking the continuous attacks with her spear. It would have been a tough turn of events had it happened a certain time ago, when she was a newcomer to Mitakihara. Back then, she came on her own in hopes of quenching her thirst for battle. Now…

"Here I come!" yelled Yuma.

Things were different.

Hearing Yuma's declaration, Kyoko spun around and stepped aside. A concentrated beam of light awaited her as she glanced back.

Barely avoiding the beam, Kyoko slid to the side and watched as it connected on the Esuriens.

"Good going…" she said under her breath.

They had not known each other for that long of a time, but the two had managed to put together one hell of a fighting combination.

Seizing this opportunity, Kyoko headed once more into the offensive and struck. She accelerated and found herself face to face with the Esuriens once more. This time, the battle had been decided.

With a loud noise, the magical spear found itself thrust right through flesh and bone. Kyoko had impaled her nemesis right through its midsection.

For a brief moment, all was silent.

Kyoko and the Esuriens stared each other down. Neither blinked or dropped eye contact. The first traces of movement came from the jittering motion that came from the Esuriens.

With a low-sounding growl, the Esuriens slowly went limp. Its wings came undone and faded into shards that scattered in the wind.

"Haruna!" cried Yuma. The green-haired Cibus came running after seeing the decisive blow being landed.

Kyoko pulled her spear out of the Esuriens and watched as it collapsed to the ground. Its body remained intact. However, the transformation that happened to its wings began spreading to the rest of its body. The dark, twisted body of the monster began shedding away into fragments.

"Haruna! Haruna!"

The Esuriens' former name was all Yuma can mutter as she finally reached the fallen monster. She knelt down beside the lifeless body, no doubt praying that once this was all over, she would be able to see her friend again.

There was no doubt that the young Cibus wished that this was all a bad dream. Surely, there was hope. Nothing denied it from ever being a possibility. There was hope that once the Esuriens body fades away, Haruna would be back.

Meanwhile, Oriko stared at the sequence of events transpiring in front of her eyes.

"Amazing."

"Is it over?" asked Oriko.

The question was directed the cat-like creature known as Kyubey. The two white beings had mostly been bystanders in the second phase of the battle and kept their distance.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not."

Oriko turned her eyes away from everything and looked back. Instead of calming down like one would have, considering the demise of the Esuriens, her eyes narrowed, and body stiffened at a sudden realization.

The barrier has not subsided.

She looked as far as her eyes can see. This was not right. The Esuriens had fallen, yet the barrier has not even begun its mandatory collapse. In fact…

"What in the world is going on?"

Those words involuntarily left her mouth.

"It is simple. The Esuriens that lords over the barrier is not dead. No, far from it."

Kyubey's answer certainly did not help matters. This caused Oriko to double take on her observations and get another disturbing realization.

"The barrier's expanding…!"

The white Cibus immediately began running towards Kyoko and Yuma. Adrenaline took over, and she sprinted as fast as she can to the two uneasy allies.

"Watch out! Something's coming!"

In that very moment, the Esuriens' body faded completely, and the ground shook. The tremors momentarily stopped Oriko in her tracks. Her voice failed to completely reach the two other Cibi.

However, whatever reached them was enough, as it was enough to distract them from the fading of the Esuriens and turn their attention towards Oriko.

To their dismay, the next event was one that they never wished to see.

Amidst the tremors, the ground broke apart. Separated into plates, the ground within the barrier effectively tore apart in a very violent motion.

"Tsk!"

Oriko winced in a rare glimpse of strong emotion. Unfortunately, her next wince was due to factors beyond her control.

Out of the breaking ground came chunks of earth that sprung out in violent motion.

Oriko found herself on the receiving end of one of the rocks. The large fragment knocked her high into the sky, resulting in one long fall for the Cibus.

Before the two remaining Cibi could fully digest what had happened, they found themselves blasted aside by a surge of power.

In a process that they saw unfold in front of their very eyes, the Esuriens began reforming.

"W-what's going on?"

Yuma's voice trailed off as the Esuriens regained its old form. However, instead of engaging the Cibi in battle, the Esuriens turned around and opened its wings. In front of it, a crack in space materialized.

Even Kyoko was stopped by the appearance of the portal.

"What the hell is that? That's totally unheard of."

With a loud roar, the Esuriens entered the portal. In its wake, it let loose a powerful gust of wind.

"You're not getting away!" shouted Kyoko. Facing the powerful winds head-on, she surged forward and rushed towards the portal.

"I'll open a way!"

Hearing Yuma's voice, Kyoko moved aside and allowed the green Cibus to blast the wind away with a powerful beam. Having her way cleared, Kyoko began running at full speed towards the portal.

"Um… Big Sis…"

Yuma hesitated. She turned back, her attention completely absorbed by the breaking world around her.

"What are you waiting for? Come on."

"B-but…"

"Cut down the one behind this and we end this whole thing! I'm heading in there, whether you want it or not."

With a look of determination, Kyoko stared at the portal. It didn't take too long before she felt a tug at her right arm.

"You're right. Let's save Haruna together!" said Yuma.

After taking in deep breaths, Kyoko and Yuma ran forward and launched themselves into the gaping portal in space.

* * *

The two Cibi fell down with a thud.

Kyoko was the first to stand up and get a good look at their surroundings.

Her eyes caught several stone tablets and structures arranged in a bewitchingly neat way. This world's structure was not orderly in any way, but it nevertheless seemed… right. The pieces all fit right in, forming the stunning image of a crypt.

As Kyoko took small steps forward, she couldn't help but notice the crimson sky that dyed the surroundings – and the blood-colored moon.

"Where are we?" asked Yuma.

Kyoko did not answer. She held her weapon in a defensive stance.

As if answering Yuma's question in place of Kyoko, the sky opened. The red sky split apart, and a clouds cleared up to reveal a bright, blue sky beyond the top. From there, a bright beam of light shot down to the ground.

From the beam of light, a figure descended from the heavens.

"H-haruna?!" shouted Yuma.

The figure looked on with lifeless eyes while it continued its descent.

Besides the hair color and a faint resemblance in her eyes, the figure looked nothing like Haruna. Gone was the sickly and weak girl that the duo had saved. In place of her was a strong, mature woman, one that exuded an aura of power and strength. Her long, wavy hair flowed with the strong winds that heralded her arrival.

"Haruna, is it really you?" called Yuma as she began running.

"Stop it, you idiot! Fall back!"

The green Cibus did not heed Kyoko's warning. However, Yuma's approach was stopped by a powerful aura.

"Welcome to my world."

From her back sprouted two gigantic wings. The figure stretched her arms out and fired off beams from its palm.

The whole world was consumed in light.


	23. Chapter 23

**Note:** Changed the name of the person Oriko contacts at the end of chapter 10. Will explain in John's words at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"You made a mistake in following me to this world."

The stone tablets surrounding the area had been completely blown away. The being once known as Haruna completed her descent and began surveying the surroundings. Her eyes shifted from one end of the enclosed area to another.

Sensing that the danger has not passed, her senses heightened with each graceful step she took.

"No!"

At the sound of a high-pitched voice, she turned around. Her eyes locked on to a pile of crushed stone tablets.

"It wasn't a mistake! Because…"

Out of the rubble emerged the green-haired Cibus. Dusting the dirt off her costume, Yuma stood her ground and pointed at her enemy.

"… We will bring you back with us, Haruna!"

Meanwhile, the sound of more rubble caught both combatants' attention. The pillar of rocks shook before a stream of light shot out from within and a red-haired Cibus emerged like an arrow. Using the momentum of her ascent, Kyoko burst out of the rubble and landed beside her partner.

"Don't be naïve and think that something like that would be able to bring me down!" declared Kyoko.

Little did those showings of power do to impress the winged female.

"Useless. Struggle all you want. It is futile."

Her wings stretched out, and her long hair flowed along with the torrent of power emanating from her body.

"Let me, Zwei, finish this charade!"

Zwei's right hand transformed into a draconic claw before she accelerated towards the two Cibi.

Back in the real world, the barrier continued to increase in magnitude. Shadows crept from the miasma released by the ultimate Esuriens.

"My, that was one hell of an Esuriens, wasn't it?" said Kyubey.

His voice was directed at the downed Cibus beside him. He watched as the shadows surrounding the group scattered and began a slow process of taking shape.

"O-oh so casual, huh? Y-y-you never… change," replied Oriko, weakly.

After the disastrous turn of events, Oriko had found herself flat on her back, with only her vast reserves of magical power maintaining her consciousness. She failed to push her huge body back up, despite her best efforts.

She had grown used to how that white cat-like creature spoke.

"How… frustrating…" said Oriko, sounding defeated "To think that I made things worse."

"What is there to be upset about?" asked Kyubey.

"Come again?"

"As my kind have theorized, what happened was simply on par with expectations. Humans really amaze me, you know? On and on you go and struggle. You cling on to false hope and expectations."

It was at this point that Kyubey turned to face Oriko. With his words, his eyes that showed no emotion seemed a lot scarier.

"I am just telling the truth. It really amazes me. For such lowly creatures who play a little role in the universe, you sure think highly of yourselves. If the possibility of change exists, you take a chance, no matter how little the odds are. While the possibility is there, taking on things with such feeble preparation is nothing short of foolish."

He turned his attention to the shadows that had formed into Esurientes. The monsters in various forms began mobilizing towards the downed Oriko in unison.

"That is, once again, something to my expectations. I have seen this over and over again. For such a fleeting thing as a wish for power, humans would trade their souls and put their being on the line. All paths taken lead to despair. Yes. The only end for humans is despair. Whether one dies as a Cibus, a regular human, or an Esuriens like that girl, it matters not."

With her remaining strength, all Oriko managed to do was grit her fist in anger. On second thought, what wrong was there in Kyubey's words?

If humans were merely cogs being played by the wheels of fate, then what good would all the preparation do in the grand scheme of things? With the realization that she would never be able to defy fate in the first place, she loosened her grip and merely watched the approaching Esurientes.

Before she could resign herself to death, the Esurientes were all exterminated in a flash.

In front of Oriko stood a female form. Brown hair framed the head of a figure that Oriko had known for a long time. Long, metallic claws were on her arms, and judging by the blood dripping on them, it seemed that this figure had been keeping herself busy.

"Ohhh. This is one intriguing development," said Kyubey.

The battle inside the isolated dimension continued.

The sounds of battle and magical explosions rang all over the graveyard that had become the key location for the decisive battle.

Zwei grunted as she blocked Kyoko's spear with her claws. While in a deadlock with the red Cibus, Zwei was forced to disengage and jump backwards.

The source of her defensive maneuvers was none other than the incoming beams courtesy of her second opponent.

"Keep it up, and we'll finish this in no time!" said Kyoko, to which she received a nod as a reply.

"We'll rescue Haruna and get back to our world together!"

In response to the rallying cries of the two Cibi, Zwei stretched her clawed arms and let loose a powerful shockwave that shook the entire dimension.

Despite the power displayed by the wave, the Cibi stood resolute. Kyoko, in particular, tanked the attack and got in close and personal with Zwei. The tip of her spear met the joint claws of the monster. Magical energy erupted from the impact, and it drove Kyoko's adversary back.

Using her wings, Zwei ascended. Nevertheless, the red Cibus took the battle to the sky with a strong surge thanks to her momentum.

All of Zwei's attempts at launching a counter-offensive were prevented thanks to the intermittent beams being fired from the other Cibus.

Using her power to temporarily levitate, Kyoko turn her spear into its whip form and managed to wrap it around the enemy. With her enemy restrained, Kyoko landed a powerful kick, one that sent Zwei crashing down.

In that moment, Kyoko finally smiled. It was a smile different from the arrogant, excited ones that she showed. It was one of pure happiness and confidence. She glanced at the Cibus that provided all the backup in order to edge the battle towards their favor.

"I feel it. When the two of us come together, nothing can stand in our way!"

Kyoko yelled and dropped down from the air. She pointed her spear towards her downed opponent and braced for impact.

"It's all over!"

Kyoko, with all her might, crashed to the ground in an eruption of magical energy.

The result of the impact was unclear except for one thing. Kyoko's spear dematerialized and she was thrown off and landed back-first onto one of the last tombstones left standing.

"Big sis!" Yuma dashed towards the fallen Kyoko.

She began checking on the unconscious Kyoko when the smoke from the impact started to clear.

"Did… we do it?" asked Kyoko, who began to come to. Her magical power spent, Kyoko decided to rest for the meantime in order to start her recovery. The last few minutes of fighting had tired her, a rare display that testified to the intensity of the battle beforehand.

Hearing no response from Zwei, Kyoko closed her eyes, but not before looking at the sky that lined this dimension. The clouds had begun to clear, and the air seemed a lot calmer.

"Now, go get her, Yuma. We did pretty good, if you ask me," said Kyoko. The red Cibus chuckled as she rolled herself into a prone position.

Yuma, in response, looked at the result of Kyoko's final attack.

The ground was completely broken, and on the place where Kyoko dropped was a large crater. In the middle of the crater was…

"Haruna!" cried Yuma. She then hurried to the middle of the crater and knelt by the unconscious girl, who has completely returned to her form as a human.

It took a while for Haruna's unconscious body to show signs of life, but when it did, it was greeted by a strong hug from the green Cibus.

Haruna coughed as Yuma glomped her with all her might. Tears began falling on Yuma's face as she stood Haruna up and got the human back to her feet.

Haruna fittingly reciprocated the show of affection with a hug of her own. Her arms tried to wrap around the gigantic body that was hugging her.

"T-thank you…" said Haruna, with sobs of her own.

"All's well that ends well, huh? I can't believe what just happened," muttered Kyoko to herself. "To think that the bitch managed to get this much out of me, huh?"

"I guess this ends the Esurientes incident that the white one kept worrying about."

"In another way, it kinda feels sad. I wonder what's next for me."

Deep within her heart, she already knew the answer. Her eyes fixed themselves on it. Yuma's and Haruna's happy faces were what filled Kyoko's vision.

While Kyoko watched, she saw Haruna's lips curl into a smile. In an instant, time seemingly froze. The relief that blanketed Kyoko turned into anxiety, and the world was turned upside down.

Kyoko opened her mouth to shout, but it was too late.

It all happened in a flash.

Haruna's arm reverted into a claw-like appendage that found its way right through Yuma's chest. It took less than a few seconds for Yuma to drop her weapon, which shattered and faded into magical particles along with the Cibus attire.

In place of the solemn look on the girl's face was a maniacal grin. The human features of Haruna gave way to her initial Esuriens appearance. The moment that she returned to being a monster, it was all over for the green Cibus in her grasp.

A large mouth filled with razor sharp teeth prepared to engulf its victim. Yuma's hollow eyes gave one final, longing stare into the emotionless eyes of the monster.

Kyoko was left powerless to do anything but stare in horror. Her body, worn down by battle, refused to move as she watched her fellow Cibus get consumed by the Esuriens.

"Shit…" were the only words that the red Cibus could utter as she was finally left alone. Her mouth gaped open, and an emotion that she had not felt for a long time somehow made its way back to her senses.

Finished with her task, the hideous features of the Esuriens slowly shifted back in place. At the end of it all, the being returned to being Zwei, the humanoid form of the ultimate Esuriens.

"Hahaha! Look at the despair in your face. Good! Good!"

She spread her wings out once more. "That is what I want to see. The despair that once consumed me…. It's such a joy to see it in your struggling faces!"

She continued laughing as she slowly walked towards Kyoko. "I take it that you're next. Come, let me see more of the despair that I so loved before I consume you just like that fool."

Now left alone, Kyoko struggled to get back up to her feet. She tried to summon her spear again and did so successfully. Still, her once firm grip on her spear shook. Regardless, she pointed her weapon at the enemy, determined to finish this battle.

She was shaken. Nevertheless, this was not something that she has not seen before. Loss has become part of her life growing up, and this was but another setback. With that in mind, Kyoko willed herself forward.

"You wish. Come and taste the blade that will cut through despair!"

* * *

 **To quote John:**

[Oriko and Kirika] _already knew each other. As my first passage stated, Oriko tried to contact Kirika. Since we shifted the narrative to feature Komaki more, I left Kirika as a mysterious third party that has not responded to Oriko's calls, until now._

I was the one who changed the name, but did not show him such a minor change because I assumed he'd assume that anyway after we discussed things first. So, yeah, we had a slight lapse in communication; I had actually meant for Oriko and Kirika not to even know eachother yet, but to try to revise things now would be more complicated than just changing a simple two-word name.


	24. Chapter 24

"Brave words for one who is hanging on the edge."

Zwei had no ounce of fear while staring down Kyoko's blade.

"Humans can only talk so loud, but never have I seen someone who has 'overcome' despair. All foolish victims who dared challenge me have had that brave look in their faces. That is, until I erase it with my power!"

All of a sudden, Zwei broke into laughter – loud laughter that was would surely chill any girl down to her bones.

"I really relish that. I relish that moment when hope and determination turn into despair… The look on their faces is just too intoxicating. Ahh… just like my last meal!"

"You talk too much!"

Kyoko snapped with that last statement, and she hurriedly rushed towards Zwei. Kyoko was no stranger to Hail Mary attacks, but this one was different. It carried a never before seen intensity behind it, and both combatants instinctively grew aware of this fact.

As instinctive was the reckless attack, Zwei's wings emerged and acted as a shield to their host. Regardless of the defense that was put up, Zwei found herself hurled several meters away from the sheer force of the impact.

With a battle cry, Kyoko plunged her spear down the ground.

Out of the ground, several spears much like the one she wielded rose up like spike traps. Zwei's wings wasted no time in performing another defensive maneuver, this time by hoisting the humanoid Esuriens up in the air.

"Hmm. New tricks, huh? Doesn't matt—"

Before Zwei could finish, her eyes crossed with another pair of eyes, ones with fiery determination. Despite her huge frame, Kyoko had harnessed her magic power and easily made the gigantic leap upwards.

Meeting Zwei in mid-air, Kyoko swung her spear horizontally, slashing the Esuriens' wings off.

As Zwei began her descent, Kyoko chased after her.

The two figures plunged to the ground below.

Zwei, with her back to the ground was the first to plummet and crash down the ground. Kyoko's figure, with her spear pointed downward and poised to deliver the finishing blow, was next. Both of them met, creating an explosion that shook the whole dimension.

"Game over."

Zwei smiled with confidence as she took in the scene in front of her right as Kyoko's spear hit the ground.

Using Kyoko's momentum against herself, Zwei had recovered quickly enough to strike her hand out and impale the Cibus with her clawed hand. With a violent swing, she tossed the Cibus to the side and got up, looking at her blood-filled hand.

She took note of how Kyoko's spear disintegrated into magical particles that scattered along with the wind.

Even as Kyoko forced herself on one knee and resummoned her spear, Zwei took her time in strolling towards her prey. It was then that she noticed that Kyoko was knelt in a position that looked as if she was in prayer.

"Surrendering? Or is it a call to God for help? Haha! How foolish!" laughed Zwei.

"Only fools will know that there is no God in this battlefield. There never was one even in the real world. The only 'God' I knew was the one who took my family from me, the one who allowed such horrible things to happen, the one who was used by those cursed adults in driving me to despair!"

Extending her hand out, Zwei impaled Kyoko once more. This time, her arm pierced through Kyoko's back, snapping the back and finishing off the weakened Cibus.

"All in the name of that 'God,' I was unfairly punished by those adults. What does it matter if I found refuge in the occult? Why does this 'God' have to drive these bastards mad from learning of my condition? I hate them all! I hate this world!"

While rambling, Zwei's humanoid form began giving way. Bits of her body were transforming to ones closer to a traditional Esuriens'. Her body began contorting uncontrollably, and as her entire body shook in anger, she found it harder to maintain her form.

Finally, her head gave way and reverted into the toothy frame of an Esuriens ready to consume her meal.

"I'll consume you all! All of you hypocrites! I'll relish in causing as much pain and suffering to you all!" yelled Zwei in a low, rumbly voice. Her monstrous voice echoed throughout the graveyard.

She hoisted the unmoving Kyoko up and opened wide.

…

"Is that so?" said a voice from behind Zwei. "I guess we're not too different after all. No Cibus would know more about those matters as well as I do."

Shocked, Zwei turned back and saw Kyoko charging at her. She took a second look at the supposed corpse that she hoisted up, only to find it dissipate like an illusion.

Taking no time to think things over, Zwei moved her wings and impaled the second Kyoko. Like the first one, this second one dissipated, being another illusion.

Even the third one that came from above vanished with a swipe of Zwei's claws.

Fourth, fifth, sixth… All three remaining illusions were immediately banished by the powerful beam of the Esuriens. However…

Zwei cringed as a sharp object impaled her from behind.

With a power incredible enough that even the Esuriens' reinforced skin was unable to protect against, Kyoko pushed her spear into the enemy's neck. The sharp edge of the spear burst out in front of Zwei's neck. Wasting no time, Kyoko let out a fierce shout and use the most strength she can muster in order to swing the spear downwards, falling just a bit short of outright bisecting the enemy.

It was a decisive attack. At that point, the battle should have been all but settled.

Zwei fell to one knee, her body breaking down in some form of corrosion effect. Her wings began melting, as well as the rest of her body.

"Despair shall never die. We take no form. As long as humanity keeps a sliver of hope within their hearts, we shall be the shadow that emerges to consume hope.

"Even you, pretentious girls who forged a contract to hunt us down, shall know true despair. Your paths all lead to ruin… No way to escape the cycle. Trapped in this cycle of hatred, the fate that befell the humans shall find its way to you, and when it does…"

Zwei's voice trailed off as her voice transitioned into growls of an Esuriens. Rumbled sounds were all that came out of her toothy mouth. Her humanoid façade faded, leaving one last trace of it – the face of the human that Zwei once was.

The face of the human known as Haruna looked on with pleading eyes. Her eyes were hollow yet solemn. As those eyes stared at Kyoko, they began to sparkle from within. Regardless of the perspective, her tears looked genuine. Those were the eyes of an apologetic girl, yet one can say that they let out some tears of happiness.

A slice ended it all.

Without an inch of remorse, Kyoko swung her spear and bisected the girl diagonally.

Kyoko spat and did not even entertain an inch of hesitation in delivering the finishing blow. She merely looked up and watched the sky of this dimension diffuse. The ground began shaking as the world around Kyoko shattered and distorted.

* * *

"You made it back, no less than a hero who saved Mitakihara. Congratulations."

Gravely wounded and battered, Kyoko paid no heed to the supposedly encouraging words coming from a creepily jovial tone. Her magical power would heal her in no time, but she just did not find a point in entertaining this creature at this time.

"Where's everyone?"

Of course, Kyoko referred to the other Cibus that stood at the epicenter of this wild sequence of events. "She's not weak enough to kick the bucket after that, is she?"

"Ah, if you are talking about Oriko Mikuni, she is alive and well."

With that last bit of info, Kyoko finally turned back and looked at Kyubey. "Is that so? What became of her then?"

"Let us just say that…" Kyubey tilted his head as he hopped from the ground onto a pile of rubble. "Irregular circumstances saved her from the jaws of death. I do not know more than that."

"Cut the crap. I've been involved in this too long to believe a paper-thin lie like that. You always show up at the most convenient time and place. What's to say that you cannot just teleport to where she is right now? Probably even leak some info about me while you're at it."

"I do not comprehend how you could have come to that conclusion, Kyoko Sakura. Nevertheless, what you say is indeed a possibility, but—"

Kyubey's words were stopped at the sight of the tip of Kyoko's spear, pointed mere inches away from his cat-like face.

"Talk in roundabout ways all you want, I don't care."

Putting her spear away, Kyoko looked at what remained of this particular sector of Mitakihara.

Ruined structures, wrecked ground, destroyed posts. The closest thing that could compare to the pandemonium that lay in front of her eyes would be the aftermath of a mighty typhoon. Despite everything, one silver lining remained.

No casualties… Human casualties, at least. None of that mattered to Kyoko, however. What struck deep into her mind were Zwei's last words.

"For the sake of a wish, a fleeting chance at a wish, girls entered a one-way road into oblivion, huh?" she muttered to herself. "A road that does not spare the weak… a road that eradicates the ones tied down by emotion and weakness."

A bitter smile surfaced upon Kyoko's face. As she continued examining the aftermath, images of Yuma and Haruna flashed onto her mind. Those were days that she would never get back. Perhaps, somewhere deep down, those days awakened a sense that she thought she had eradicated when she headed to Mitakihara.

Those were two earnest people whose lives were ruined by the appearance of these creatures called Esurientes.

Kyoko clenched her fist as she recalled more memories of the two girls. One fell into despair, and one was done in by her naivety. Kyoko was neither of them.

Deep inside, she knew the answer all along.

"Unlike them, I am strong.

"From now on, there remains one thing to do."

Without taking another look at Kyubey, Kyoko walked off. She had no destination in mind. Physically, at least.

However, in her mind, her destiny had been clear. In exchange for having her wish granted, she would keep fighting. As long as humans exist, so shall hope and despair. The final battle with Zwei had allowed her to finally accept her destiny.

She would keep trudging on this lonely road of battle until the inevitable comes. As for when the inevitable would happen, only time could tell.


End file.
